


My Crazy Year

by Black96



Series: Humans, bugs and more [1]
Category: Bloodborne (Video Game), Gravity Falls, Hollow Knight (Video Games), The Ritual (2017)
Genre: Everyone lives, I'll add more things as I go, Massive Crossover, Self-Indulgent, fluff that slowly evolves into angst and all that, foul language used, slice-of-life kind of thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-24 23:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 55
Words: 150,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22005871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black96/pseuds/Black96
Summary: They kept calling you weird, the one who doesn't fit in and never will. You never cared, but your parents did. When an uncle you barely knew anything about comes and asks them to let you come live with him so you could help him, they agreed, thinking it was for the best. You accepted, thinking it won't be a big deal... until you found his bug collection... weird, talking bugs.
Series: Humans, bugs and more [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584031
Comments: 6
Kudos: 91





	1. Just another day

**Author's Note:**

> Hollow Knight belongs to Team Cherry. All credit for this awesome game goes to them. Please excuse my poor writing skills and spelling mistakes. English is not my first language.

No one dared make a sound, save for their strained breathing, as he walked through the rows of desks, with eyes looking at the numbers and letters that gave them a headache, the solution of the mystery being the key to their salvation. The silence was suffocating, the sound of pens writing on the white papers feeling like nails scratching on the blackboard. Not even flies could disturb the poor souls, desperately praying not to be the unlucky one. The trick was to not look up, avoid eye contact at any cost and write as if your life depended on it. Well, it did. Nobody wanted another 3 mark in the student register. They already had enough of those, and it wasn’t even the middle of the semester. Like an animal hunting its prey, he stopped here and there, checking to see who actually wrote something or who just pretended to. In the beginning they only faked it, but they learned their lesson long ago. Here, there was no such thing as cheating. You could only work and pray to be spared.

You looked at the exercise on the blackboard, making sure for the 5th time you wrote it correctly. Something didn’t add up; the result wasn’t alright. You were one of the lucky ones that still had somewhat decent marks for this class. Argh! The hair on the back of your neck was standing up, a cold shiver running down your spine. Oh, freak! You sighed, knowing that the inevitable was only seconds away from happening.

“(L/N)!” the teacher said, and you let out a silent swear as you rose from your seat and went to take a piece of chalk.

“Let the show begin!” as Grimm liked to say. And indeed, this was a show and you had the starring role, to make a fool of yourself. Well, here goes nothing.

“How many of us are here?” you asked Anne, your desk mate and friend.

The math class was over, and you somehow made it without receiving a bad mark in exchange for being screamed at and called stupid. Not that you complained. Mr. Gibson was really creative with his insults, to the point where they were actually funny, yet no one dared laugh at them. From your perspective, he could yell at you all day long if it meant you escaped the threat of failing his class.

“28 now. Why?” Anne responded, looking at you and then at the clock on the wall in front of your desk.

Two more hours left to suffer in that torture chamber the others dared call a classroom. Summers were way too hot and winters were so cold, not even the teachers could teach properly. The English and Physics teachers were the ones to voice their complains the loudest, encouraging the others to do the same. It was the middle of November, when the wind was already harsh and cold, the days barely blessed with the sun’s bright light and the temperatures were already below zero Celsius degrees. Yet, the school refused to turn on the heating system, arguing that there was no need for it. Yeah, right! Tell that who someone who actually believes them.

“28. Twenty-freaking-eight. Then why does he always, ALWAYS, have you or me solve the exercises!?” you yelled, startling Mallory, your other desk mate who had been too absorbed by the math homework to pay you any attention.

“How should I know?! Ever since he learned our names, he only picks you or me! Does he like my last name that much? He can take it! I’ll even wrap it up for him but leave me alone!” Anne said, smiling as she was gesturing with her hands. Even when she was mad, she still found the power to crack a joke.

“Why do you guys complain? You are still safe!” Ella yelled at you from across the classroom.

You looked at her and Ruth, sitting and eating some potato chips. You and Ruth used to go to the same kindergarten once, but your mind forgot everything about those times, apart from the embarrassing moments that you actually wanted to wipe away from your memory forever. You thought about asking the Radiance for help in that matter, but the others quickly opposed it. They weren’t fond of the idea of the moth god wondering through your head and honestly, neither were you but, Dear Lord! were those memories embarrassing. Ella was an ok girl, a bit too self-absorbed and spoiled for you, but she wasn’t mean or anything. Still, her comment slightly pissed you off.

“So what?! Rather, shouldn’t you be solving those exercises instead of me? I mean, he’s bound to give you a passing grade if you get involved in the class, right?” you asked Ella. So far, Mr. Gibson only gave good marks at the blackboard once or twice, only graded students who were not very prepared for his class. Still, there was no harm in hoping.

“(Y/N) is right, you know. You should be more active during class if you want to pass.” Anne backed you up.

“I will! It’s not my fault I haven’t finished the exercise by the time he makes someone else go to the blackboard and solve it.” Ella defended herself and you chuckled, seeing Ruth roll her eyes.

“Of course, he won’t wait on you. You have to go before he picks someone else, Ella.” she said, sounding exasperated. 

“Shut up!”

The four of you continued to argue like that, cracking jokes here and there, laughing at each other until Mrs. Carlos, your Physics teacher entered the classroom. She was one of the greatest teachers in that entire high school and she felt more like a mother rather than another authoritarian figure that demanded your respect simply because she had a position. She actually earned that respect and cared about her students, going way and beyond to help them. She made physics enjoyable and easy to understand for everyone, never mad when someone said they didn't understand. She greeted all of you and after looking at each of your faces, still worn out from the stress of the previous hour, she smiled.

“Don’t worry guys. Today’s lesson is short, so I won’t keep you long. But before that, does anyone want to know any marks?” she asked, opening the register as three hands shot up in the air, poor victims of Mr. Gibson just like you. Even though you had been spared, the rest weren’t so lucky.

“I’m home!” you screamed as soon as you closed the main entrance door.

In the blink of an eye, Ghost was already perched on your shoulder with Pure heading your way followed by Hornet. From the first floor you could hear the “Brave Enough” album of Lindsey Stirling being played. You sighed knowing your uncle must have let Grimm use your computer again. Ever since you introduced him to Spotify, it’s been a constant argument between you two. He preferred the classics like Beethoven and Vivaldi, though he took a liking to other artist you listened too as well. While you didn’t mind listening to them, you still wanted to hear some other singers like Alec Benjamin and Allie X and other more rock-centered bands. Not once did you two found yourselves quarreling over who got to choose the music. Your uncle didn’t want to interfere, saying that you had to work this between yourselves. Easier said than done.

You picked the other two bugs up, placing them on your shoulder beside Ghost, and then headed to your bedroom. You found the door open and as expected, Grimm was dozing off with his back supported against Brumm and the Grimmchild in his arms, all of them listening to the beautiful violin. Divine was also present, looking over some drawings you did last night, before going to bed. Ever since you found those really small canvasses, you kept hanging them on little wood supports around your room, after you drew something on them. Lately, Grimm and Divine took the liberty to color your pictures, complaining that the white and black portraits were too depressing.

“That’s what I’m going for. Besides, I hate coloring.” you told them once, but they ignored you and kept doing things their way.

The results weren’t bad at all, so you didn’t complain. They were doing a better job than you anyway. The piece Divine was examining was of an eye with tears falling down from its corner, and flower vines spreading about. You were really proud of how it came out, and seeing the bug take a brush and dip into a bottle cap filled with blue paint, made you look away. You didn’t really want to have that one painted but, whatever. Complaining never led anywhere anyway since everyone just did what they wanted in the end.

You looked at your pillow to find more vessels sleeping, some covering themselves with the thin blanket you placed on your bed every time after you made it in the morning, before you left for school. “To keep the dust away” your mother said all the time, and although you weren’t the same cleaning maniac she was, thank God! you couldn’t deny that it looked nice. You left your backpack down on the cold floor and took a sit on the chair at your desk, opening the Spotify app and looking for another song. You browsed the library and finally settled for Alec Benjamin. You pressed the play button and the energetic sound of the violin was replaced by the soft lyrics of “Water Fountain”, while your mind drifted away, lost in daydreams with the three bugs on your shoulder relaxing as well, slowly falling asleep.

It felt so strange to you now. To think this was just another day… Who would have thought that you of all people who were afraid of bugs more than anything… well, anything except death of course… and snakes… would end up making friends with such creatures? And they were sapient too. They had minds of their own, thoughts and dreams, a culture, a language. You never thought such a thing would ever happen. How did it start again? 

The memory of the first day came creeping through your mind, the events unfolding once more before your eyes. Ah! It felt as if it happened yesterday.


	2. A new home

You looked out the window of your father’s car as he drove you to your uncle’s house, somewhere in a small town, near the mountains of Transylvania. You could already see the snow-covered peaks of the Retezat Mountains, and the forests covering the lands. You were almost there.

The songs from the radio made it easier to maintain the silence, to keep up the lie that everything was fine. This was for your own good. Your uncle will take good care of you. The town had far more possibilities to offer than the God-forsaken village you were born and raised in, a better chance at education, better friends. Everything was better, everything was fine, but then why… did it leave such a sour taste in your mouth?

The phone rang again. It was the seventh time since you left. You made sure to count. Your father answered, his loud voice covering the song, and screaming at the one on the other side. A bad habit he had yet to dispose of. You silently wondered how come the ones who called him weren’t deaf already. The words penetrated your ears, creeping into your mind, disturbing the peace you so hard tried to maintain. The same old thing, the same old problems which never went away. You focused on the view behind the window’s glass again, letting the green scenery fill your senses. If you closed your eyes and emptied your mind, you could feel the scent of the pine trees, the grass tingling your skin, hear the birds sing and the dogs bark in the distance. A thunder pulled you out of your dream, and the grey clouds suddenly began to cry, shedding the tears that you completely denied. You were the one who told them it will be fine. Yet here you are now, mad at the sky that expressed the screams in your heart though thunder and lighting. Lies are always sweet, but once they’re told, their taste turns bitter. Ah! September never felt colder.

Your father ended the call, ready to throw the phone back in the cup holder that he only used for this very purpose when its screen light up and it began to ring again. It was the eight time. He answered, and you held back the need to tell him to stop screaming.

“Oh! Hi, James!... Yeah.... We’re almost there…. What?... You’re not home? How is she going to… Oh! A key?... Underneath the… Ok…. Yeah… I got it…. Ok, thanks.” your father ended the call again and threw the phone away, as careless as ever.

You looked at him, already knowing what he wanted to say. You weren’t in the mood to talk, so you simply cut to the chase.

“Where is the key?”

“Your uncle is not…”

“I know. I heard you. So, where is the key?” you asked again, your tone harsher than you intended.

“Under the mat in front of the main entrance.” he said, ignoring your mood. He didn’t want to press matters further. He didn’t know how to deal with such situations.

“Ok.” you said and went back to your daydreaming.

Uncle James. You didn’t know much about him. Your parents barely talked about him until that day.

August was hot that year. The winds did not bother to come and bless the people as they worked the fields, gathering the long-awaited harvest. Dogs and cats were out with their owners, barking and playing, chasing the children that were not old enough to help, yet too young to be left home alone. Horses were snickering as the farmers allowed them a break before a new row of potatoes would need to be plowed. Women were gossiping, families were laughing, united by the call of the harvest. The sun burned bright in the sky, turning their skin red and sweat rolled down their backs and brows, but it did not manage to hinder their work. They were used to it already, taught from a young age to resist the temptation of sleep and to not give in to the summer’s heat. The scent of the ground being dug in, cut by the plow’s sharp teeth filled the air. Worms were coming out curious as to what was going on, only to be welcomed by the world with screams of little girls still not used to seeing their long, limbless bodies emerge where you least expected it. Young boys were begging their fathers to let them hold the steel tool that violated the soil with each row that needed to be dug up, to expose the yellow, bulky vegetables underneath. Others, who had more luck, were riding in the tractors with their parents by their side, pretending to drive the metal monsters. They laughed, they worked, they lived their lives.

You were in the garden, tending to the rows of carrots, pulling out the weeds with your bare hands, ignoring the thorns digging through your skin and the soil under your nails. You grabbed the base of a thistle and pulled with all your force, the insufferable weed digging its spines into your hands, attempting to fight the fate that awaited it. Oh no! The day when you would lose to a plant was still not here! With one last tug, the earth released the roots and you fell down on your back, holding the thistle in your hands, like a trophy of victory. You laughed, and got back up, wiping the sweat off your brow with the sleeve of the shirt wrapped around your waist. There wasn’t much work left and that was to be expected. You’ve been working since the break of dawn when the day was still cold and nice. You tossed the thistle aside in a bucked filled with weeds, ready to be tossed in the fire and returned to cleaning up the rows left when you heard your mother calling out your name.

“(Y/N)! Come here now! We have guests!”

“Coming!” you answered her and headed to the house, wondering who it could be.

The garden and the house were separated by a small yard where the dogs were sleeping while the chickens were walking around them, climbing on their backs and enjoying their soft fur. The pets opened their eyes a bit as you passed by them, and let out a soft bark, but they were too tired, overwhelmed by the heat to break away from sleep’s embrace. You bend down and patted old Rex on the head. He was a white mongrel birthed in the shed by a dog who followed your grandmother home from the field one day and refused to leave. He closed his eyes and fell asleep again, while you went to the house, loud chatter being heard from inside. Your father really needed to control his voice.

You entered the house and went straight to the bathroom, washing away the dirt and green stains from your hands and face. You thought about taking a shower when you mother knocked on the door telling you to hurry it up already. Fine. She asked for it.

You got out of the bathroom and headed to the living room, the voices getting louder and clearer. Knocking softly, you entered and were surprised to find your father in the company of a man that looked so much like him, dressed in garments resembling the suits worn by men back in Victorian England, complete with that long top hat that made them look so funny yet classy. Attached to his collar was a strange amulet resembling a purple bug with wings and wearing a spiked crown. He looked at you and you felt embarrassed to have come here looking still dirty and reeking of sweat. His eyes were calm, holding a certain wisdom hidden deep within.

“H-Hello.” you greeted him, standing in the doorway, not sure if you had to come in or not.

“Hello. You must be (Y/N).” the man said and got up on his feet, giving you a polite bow.

“Y-Yeah. Nice to meet you.” you replied taken aback by his gesture.

“(Y/N), come and sit here.” your father motioned you to the chair next to his and you obeyed, curious to see what was about to happen.

Silence fell between the three of you, neither knowing what to say. You could feel the man’s eyes looking at you, studying your features and you wished the ground to open up and swallow you. Why couldn’t your mother let you shower before coming here? Who was he anyway? Some relative? Your family was huge. Too many aunts and uncles to remember each of their faces.

“So, (Y/N) …” the man started talking and you unwillingly straightened your back. “My name is James and I’m your father’s younger brother. Pleased to meet you.”

“I suspected as much.” you responded, before you could watch your mouth.

James smiled widely, seemingly overjoyed with your answer.

“Intuitive. I like that. Tell me, do you like drawing? Or listening to music?”

“Yeah. I love music.” you said, growing weary of your uncle. Why did he care about what you liked?

“Wonderful!” James exclaimed, but his jolly expression didn’t last.

He coughed as if trying to regain his calm and threw a worried look towards your father who had been unusually silent the whole time. You looked at the two of them, restlessness building up inside you. 

“(Y/N)”, James started, his calm tone hiding a grave note. “I heard from your father that… well, something happened at your school.”

You swallowed a node in your throat, unwarily passing your hand over the long scar on your stomach. You didn’t want to talk about that. The memory of that accident still haunted you, no matter how much you tried to block it. Those idiots nearly killed you and for what? For a freaking joke that was too dangerous from the start. You looked at your father, your eyes asking for help, but he avoided your gaze.

“I heard you start high school next year…” James continued, and you looked back at him. “I’ve talked with your father already and we came to an agreement.”

“What agreement?” you asked, digging your fingernails in the seat of your chair.

“This will only happen if you agree, of course. No one forces you to do anything. There is always a choice. There has to be. A good friend taught me that.”

“Can you please get to the point?” you asked, scared already. What was going on?

“Would you like to come and live with me? I have a big house and my job keeps me away most of the time and I could use someone to help me look after the place. You could continue your studies there without any problem. I even know someone who would be more than willing to help you out.”

James proposal hanged in the air like a bad odor. To leave and start anew? You didn’t want that. Uncle or not, he was still a stranger. You knew nothing about him and to just agree to go and live with him seemed like complete craziness in your eyes. You were ready to deny his offer, but before you could say anything, your father interfered.

“She will go, James. It’s already settled.”

You and James looked at him in shock, your jaw nearly hitting the floor. Did… did your own dad just say that?

“I want her to decide, brother. It’s her life. She MUST be the one to choose.” your uncle protested.

The two men stared at each other and if looks could kill, then there would be two corpses lying on the floor right at that very moment. The silence was breath taking, too heavy for you to endure. You didn’t want to go, but what you wanted didn’t matter. There was never a choice.

“I’ll do it.” you said, breaking the silence and attracting the attention of the two men.

“Are you sure?” James asked. The look he gave you.

“Yes. A change would be nice.” you forced a smile, making it as sincere as possible. “So, what will I help you with?”

James didn’t answer your question. He leaned back in his chair and refused to look at you. After a few minutes of silence, he got up and took his coat, heading to the door.

“September the 8th. I’ll have your room ready by then. Thank you for having me.” he said as he left the room, not looking back once.

“We love you, dear.” your father said as he hugged you.

“I know.”

“We only want what’s best for you, you know that, right?”

“Yes. Don’t worry about me and go home. The clouds don’t look too good. I think it might rain again.” you looked at the sky, annoyed at the depressing colors that painted the heavens.

“You’re right. If there’s anything you need, just call me. See you!” your father hugged you one more time, before getting back into the car and driving away. You couldn’t help but stare at the vehicle as it disappeared around the corner of the street, through the trees that surrounded your uncle’s property. He was gone and with him, your last chance to turn back disappeared as well.

A thunder announced you that the daydreaming was over. You turned around and walked in the direction of the Victorian styled house which will serve as your home for the next four years. It was a three-story high building, painted grey and brown, with two large bay windows on each floor, flower pots everywhere from the stairs to the terrace which looked more like a greenhouse with exotic plants that you’ve only seen on TV or in magazines. The front yard was also filled with flowers, that desperately needed to be weeded out. The first drops of rain began to fall as you planned to go around the house and check out the back yard.

Sighing, you headed to the front door, and took the key from under the mat that said in big, bold letter “Home, Sweet Home.” Those words made you want to throw up. You turned the mat upside down and unlocked the door, hoping that the key wouldn’t work. You didn’t want to be here. You still wanted to go back home, to your parents, to your pets. When you heard the click, your hopes shattered, and you knew that this was real. This was truly happening. Leaving your luggage in the opened doorway, you ran into the rain, which was pouring by now and screamed, letting it all out, finally allowing yourself the cries you so desperately needed. And it felt so good to release your tears.

Drenched, you stepped into the house, and closed the door behind you. Water was dripping from your hair, but you didn’t care. It felt like a burden was lifted from your shoulders and you were tired. All you wanted to do was sleep. You went deeper into the house, the long hallway leading to the stairs to the floor above and a large salon. Again, there were pots with plants everywhere spreading a sweet mixture of fragrances in the air. These ones were taken care off, unlike the ones outside. You noticed a lot of roses around and other crimson and white flowers. “Purity and love” you thought, remembering the meaning of each blossom. Was your uncle a florist? Your parents never really specified what his job was and seeing all that greenery made you wonder. However, he mentioned that his job often kept him away so it couldn’t be that. Still, it had to be something plant related. Maybe a botanist? That seemed more believable.

The salon was furnished with a dark couch and many chairs placed around a small coffee table. There was also a plasma Tv pinned on the wall and an old radio, the kind they used in the 80’s, on the table. The window’s sill was large, covered in many scarlet pillows and blankets. In the farthest corner of the room, there was a wooden drawer with glass doors through which you could see many crystals and precious stones in their raw forms. What caught your attention was a glowing, pink, crystal. It wasn’t an amethyst, though it looked like one. As you walked towards it, from the corner of your eye you noticed something moving quickly through the darkness. Was it a bug?

You rushed to the switch on the wall, and turned it on, but the chandelier did not light up. You swore through your teeth and tried to make do with your sight alone. You tried to look after the bug again, but in vain. It was too dark to see anything, the rain clouds making it look as if it was night already despite it still being noon. You gave up and sat on the couch praying that the insect won’t have any wild idea of climbing on you. It was even darker now and although you wanted to explore the first floor, there was no way you would climb those stairs when you couldn’t even see one meter in front of you. You took out your phone to see the battery at 4%. No way the lantern would light up and so far, you haven’t seen any outlet on any wall.

“Great! Could this day get any better?” you sighed and put the phone on the table next to the radio.

“I wouldn’t say that if I were you.”

You jumped off the couch and fell on the floor, startled by the sudden voice that came from behind you. You looked around and your eyes fell on the brightest, weirdest moth you’ve ever seen, almost as big as your hand. You stared as it landed on the table next to you, placing its wings on both hips and shaking its head in disapproval.

“See? James is the same. He complains all day about how bad things are and then they get worse. Are you ok, at least? Did you hurt yourself?” it said again.

“I-I-I must be dreaming! A-a talking moth. Nope! Definitely dreaming!” you got up, waving your hand in dismissal and sat back down on the couch, laughing like crazy, trying to remember when you fell asleep.

“No, sweetheart. You’re not dreaming. As rude as you are, you’re still awake. This talking moth is called the Radiance, by the way.” it said again, the sound of its voice so real that you couldn’t help but admit it was right and then you saw them.

Now that the Radiance’s light was illuminating the room, you could clearly distinguish countless small bugs, with heads as white as snow and completely dark eyes staring at you. Among them was another one, almost as tall as the moth with a few little ones perched on his shoulders and some in his arms.

You felt the world spin around you and before you could say anything, everything went black.


	3. Dream

“I think she may have a fever.” Herrah said, placing a hand on the girl’s burning forehead though she could feel her high temperature from where she stood.

“There are some medicine in the kitchen cabinet. Vespa, could one of your wasps go and get it please?” The White Lady asked the bee queen, drawn to the salon by the commotion together with some of her servants.

“Sure. The one on the left?”

“Yes. The top shelf. Thank you very much.” the Higher Being replied and returned her attention to James’ niece.

The Pale King was arguing with the Radiance in a screaming match and Grimm was trying to call James, but the storm outside must have caused a blackout since not even the lights were turning on. The vessels were fussing around the sleeping girl, with Pure trying to calm them down. They couldn’t help but feel guilty, since she fainted soon after seeing them.

“Will you stop screaming and help us already?!” Herrah shouted at the Wyrm and the Moth, losing her patience already. She had to fight the urge to wrap them in her silk and kick them out in the rain.

“Leave them be, dear. They wouldn’t be of help anyway.” Vespa told the spider, looking at the two Higher Beings. Were they always like that? Ugh! If only James were here.

He had to leave that morning because of some problems at his workplace. They didn’t know when he would return. The Pale King warned him about this, but as usual he didn’t listen. That man was such a brat. Were it not for Vespa and the other bees, the plants would have died off, withering from the lack of water. Still, he did his best to take care of the bugs, she had to give him that.

The White Lady thought of James as a very lonely man. His family didn’t understand his love for the supernatural and some shunned him away, judging him harshly and calling him crazy. Well, he was a bit weird to a certain extent, but that didn’t affect his kindness and caring nature. When he heard about his niece’s accident, he was unable to sleep from worrying about her. She was like him. An outcast in their family for the simple fact that she was different. There was no way he could just leave her alone. If no one was by his side back when he needed it, then he would be there for her. He kept on searching for anything that may help, from legal advice to supernatural objects that had the power to ward off evil.

Fearing that he may go on another life-threatening adventure, the bugs convinced him to have (Y/N) live with them. She could study at the high school in town and Monomon was more than eager to help her out. Plus, the house could always use an additional pair of helping hands. James was not the most organized man in the world. In the end, he agreed to bring the girl over only if she gave her consent as well. Everyone held their breath when he went to discuss the matter with her parents, even the Pale King who claimed that whether or not there would be a new face around would be all the same to him. However, the White Lady knew that he wanted (Y/N) to come both out of curiosity and compassion for the poor being. The Wyrm could keep up a cold façade as much as he wanted, but he couldn’t fool his wife.

When James came back, his expression was as sour as a lemon, and they feared things didn’t go well.

“What happened, James?” the Pale King asked, everyone being all ears.

“(Y/N) will come on September the 8th. We need to get things in order by then. I think the bedroom on the first floor will do.” he said, and his voice sounded so weak.

“Why do you sound so down? Isn’t that a good thing?” Herrah asked, looking at the other bugs and reading their expressions. They were just as confused as she was.

“It’s just that…” he began, fighting to find his words, “… her parents are forcing her to. I know it’s because they think it will do her good but… it wasn’t their choice. It was HERS! And they just took it…. I… Sorry. Let’s just get to work. September is right around the corner.”

No one said anything. They silently agreed and began to make the preparations.

“Here is the medicine.” Vespa handed the White Lady the pill as her subjects placed a glass and a bottle of water on the table. “How are we going to wake her up? She may faint again or scream if she sees us.”

“I know. Darling, can you come here please? Radiance too.”

The two Higher Beings answered the queen’s call, the Wyrm throwing a worried glance towards the child. She didn’t look good at all. If only the Radiance had called them sooner, this may have been avoided.

“What is it, my root?” he asked his beloved.

“Could you and the Radiance go in her dream and explain the situation? I fear she may faint again if she simply wakes up and finds all of us here. It would be better to at least let her know what is going on.”

“Wasn’t James supposed to tell her?” the Wyrm asked, confused.

“Figures he forgot.” The Radiance huffed. One day that man is going to forget how to breathe. 

“Of course. Why did I expect anything else?” the Pale King pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Would you two shut up already and get to work?” Grimm appeared in a flash of red smoke, next to him a large towel that he managed to teleport with. “Pure, come here and help me put this on her head. We ought to at least dry her off, before her condition worsens.”

“I’ll help you too.” Herrah offered and she began to pull the warm towel onto the girl’s hair, together with Pure and Grimm. She ought to take a shower after waking up.

As those three were working on drying (Y/N) off, the Pale King and the Radiance looked at each other. If those two hated something, it was to work together. Their dispute may have been settled, but the ire still remained. The Moth still felt cheated while the Wyrm feared she may try and do something again. However, the girl’s needs came first now and neither of them felt like being chased by an angry woman with a flyswatter or a shoe.

“Ready to go?” the Pale King asked. He just wanted to get it over with.

“Sure. Let’s go.”

When you opened your eyes, you were laying on the ground, surrounded by light, yellow and white, trying to intertwine yet refusing to stay like that, each touch causing a sparkle and resulting in the two getting as far from each other as they could. It was a messy dance of love and hate with no clear end. In front of you were two strange beings, one resembling the moth you’ve seen before you fainted and the other one looking like a worm with limbs and a bright white shell and a spiked crown that seemed to be fused with his head. What sort of messed up dream were you having this time?

“Are you alright, (Y/N)?” the white one asked. His polite tone surprised you.

None of the characters in your dreams were ever polite to you. And you never saw their faces so clearly. It was always a blur, only figures that you could never quite distinguish. This wasn’t an ordinary dream.

“Y-Yeah. Thank you.” you responded and got up, dusting your clothes off out of habit. “Erm… excuse me but, what is going on?”

“It’s a long story, dear. You may want to sit back down.” the Radiance clapped her wings and three chairs appeared behind each of you.

You sat down, wondering what would happen. Weird as it may be, this was still a dream, right? Crazy and strange, but still a dream, nevertheless. Now that you were conscious, you could manipulate it as you wanted. You were a pretty good lucid dreamer after all. But first… you wanted to see what the deal was with these creatures.

“I am the Pale King, ruler of Hallownest. I’m also known as the Wyrm.” he said and bowed his head lightly to you, before resuming the presentations. “I believe you are already acquainted with the Radiance.” the King motioned a hand to the moth next to him. You nodded and he continued. “We are Higher Beings, meaning that our powers, our very existence goes beyond that of ordinary bugs.”

You listened to him and your eyes widened with each word he said. You had the impression that the orange juice was stale that morning, but not that bad! This wasn’t from that horror movie you watched either. If it was that, you’d be running through some forest or something, scared for your life. No. This was too crazy to be a dream of yours.

“Did-did you by any chance get in my head?” you asked, still trying to convince yourself that this somehow wasn’t real. It was just too crazy… too amazing to be.

“Yes. That is the Radiance’s power, to enter and control one’s dreams.”

“That’s true. Sorry for the intrusion but we thought it would be wiser to tell you about us, before you woke up and tried to chase us with flyswatters.” the Moth said and well, she was right. You would have totally done that.

“This… this is… this is real? I mean, is it truly happening? … I haven’t gone completely insane, right?” you looked at the two of them, and the Wyrm simply nodded, while the Radiance smiled. “Wow! This… this is something.” you leaned back in your chair.

“Glad to see you taking it so well.” the Pale King said. He remembered how excited James was when they first talked.

Back then, he was still fighting against the Radiance, with Grimm by his side. That man put so many questions, the Wyrm had been overwhelmed. Even the Troupe Master found it hard to keep up. He was glad that (Y/N) resembled him in the first aspect. She didn’t fear the supernatural and caught on to things rather quickly. The Pale King liked that.

“So… sorry to interrupt, but you said you are a king, right? Your Highness.” you said, trying to put on your best behavior. You were never really taught how to act in front of royalty.

“Yes. I am. My subjects live here, in James house as a result of … unforeseen circumstances.”

“He’s not the only one, though. There is also Queen Vespa, Queen Herrah, and the mantis lords.” the Radiance interfered.

“Wow! That’s… a lot.” you said and then it hit you. All these guys were bugs. You lived in a house full of bugs with magical powers and intelligence. A shiver ran down your spine. “A-are all of them like you? The queens and the lords I mean.”

“Ah, no! Grimm and my wife are the only other Higher Being, apart from us. The rest are bugs to whom we have granted sapience. They can talk and think but have very little or next to no supernatural powers.” the Pale King quickly replied.

“Who’s Grimm?” you asked, and you saw the Radiance stiffen at the mention of that name.

“My brother.” she said. “He’s a pain in the neck, so you shouldn’t mind him too much.”

“He’s… a very interesting individual, to say the least.” the Wyrm tried to sound polite, but you could notice a note of discomfort in his voice. “Do not get me wrong! He’s not a bad man, just a little eccentric, that’s all. Once you get used to him…”

“Oh please! He’s a menace! (Y/N), you are free to squash him as much as you like. I’ll help if you want.”

“No! Absolutely not!”

The Pale King and the Radiance began to throw threatening glances at each other. You knew the Radiance’s reaction far too well, to be surprised. You and your siblings didn’t get along either, unless it was about your aunt. Amazing what a common enemy can do.

“It’s ok, your Highness. I understand.” you said and looked at the Radiance, giving her that smile that let one know you understood where they were coming from.

“Well, that’s fortunate… I guess we should leave now, and you need to wake up and take a shower. You’re still soaked from the rain and we don’t want you catching a cold. We can talk more after that.” the Pale King said and looked at the scenery of light that were still dancing, attracted yet repulsed by each other at the same time.

Oh, shot! You totally forgot about that. No wonder you were so cold!

“Yes. Thank you for letting me know what’s going on… I… I’ll be in your care from now on.” you replied, as the surroundings began to shine so brightly you had to close your eyes.

Next thing you knew, you had a warm towel on your face and hair, surrounded by a bunch of bugs of all kinds. You were prepared for that, but Dear Lord! did it still feel weird and creepy.


	4. Settling down

Shortly after you woke up, uncle James came back home and started the backup generator in the basement, apologizing at the same time for all the trouble you and the others went through, while he was gone. You assured him it was alright, but the Radiance and Herrah gave him a long lecture about his hectic schedule and other things that you couldn’t hear over the other’s commands to go and take a shower already.

When you came back, everyone, including some faces you haven’t seen when you woke up, was in the living room, steaming cups of tea, and plates with chocolate cake on the coffee table, classical music of piano and violin delighting your ears. You stepped inside and greeted your uncle once more, then sat on a chair near a radiator to warm up, the little bugs from before with white masks, quickly jumping into your arms. Before James came, you learned that they were all the Pale King’s children - your jaw dropped when you heard that -, and some of their names. It felt strange to have them sit in your lap, so many creatures, feeling their tiny bodies on your skin, but you didn’t want to be rude and just let them be. They were children after all. You could suffer for them. The tallest one named Pure was trying to stop their siblings from climbing on you, but no one listened to them. In the end, they had to give up, when one of the little ones, Ghost, pulled them between the others, forcing them to accept both your embrace and their siblings’. You had to hold back tears, seeing them like that. How on Earth did the Pale King manage to raise them so well? You had two sisters and neither of you could stand to be in the same room with each other. He had to tell you his secret. As you were looking at them, you noticed a smaller bug, who looked a lot like Grimm, perched between Ghost’s antlers. He looked at you and flashed a toothy grin, that instantly melted your heart. His father was on the chair next to you, together with two other bugs to whom you haven’t yet been introduced, both wearing masks with black markings resembling Grimm’s. Next to them, were the Pale King and the White Lady, Herrah with Midwife and Hornet, Lurien with a small bug that you understood to be his attendant, and Monomon with her pupil, Quirrel. Each one of them had a small plate with cake and cups of tea in front of them, Grimm and the White Lady looking at the children who fell asleep in your lap.

“So, (Y/N).” James began to talk, his voice pulling you out from your thoughts.

“Yes, uncle?”

“Firstly, I’m glad to see that you’re already close with his majesty’s children.” he smiled, looking at the little ones.

You didn’t know what to say, so you simply nodded. They were lovely, after all.

“Secondly, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to introduce you guys properly…”

“As you should!” Herrah, the Radiance and Grimm said at the same time, and you had to hold back a chuckle. You felt so sorry for your uncle.

“And thirdly, do you need anything for school? There’s only three more days left until the beginning of the new year.” he asked, ignoring the bugs, which didn’t sit well with the Moth perched on his shoulder judging from her facial expression. Still, she let it go. She was probably tired of lecturing him.

Oh! You completely forgot about high school!

“I think I’ll need more notebooks, but I hoped I could buy them during the following week. So far, I have a notebook for each class.”

“How many classes does the eighth-grade study now? 10?”

“15.” you said, thinking of all the useless classes you had to study. Another year when you had to fill your head with information that you will surely forget as soon as summer vacation came around.

“Still as many as ever, I see. Any class you feel like you may have some troubles with?”

“Too many to count. Latin would be one. And Mathematics.” you sighed. There was a certain rumor going around ever since the results of the high school classes repartitions came out. It was speculated that Mr. Gibson, the toughest and meanest teacher in the whole region, would be the form teacher of the Mathematics and Information class, your class. You didn’t want to believe that, but with your luck, it was definitely possible.

“Oh! Did you hear? Mr. Gibson is going to be the form teacher of your class. Isn’t that great?”

And it was happening. You facepalmed yourself, waking up the children in your lap. They gave you a confused look and you apologized immediately.

“Is there something wrong?” The White Lady asked, calling some of the little ones to her side. It was late and they needed to get to sleep in their own beds.

“You can always ask us for help, dear. We’ll be more than happy to lend a hand.” Monomon said, patting Quirrel’s head.

“Thank you. I really appreciate that.” It was nice to be offered help. Your sisters were never willing to help you, and even when they did, it was pretty much useless. They never explained anything, only threw the solution and that was it. And then they had the audacity to yell at you, asking why your grades were so bad.

You chatted with your uncle and the others some more, making plans for the next day. You decided to go in town and explore the place a bit, mainly to find the book stores and the parks. When it was time to go to your room, James showed you around the house, together with the others. The bugs were staying in a large room on the second floor, next to the James’ study. It was as big as a salon and it occupied most of the floor. According to your uncle, he had to destroy three rooms in order to make it so that the bugs could stay together. The chamber was decorated with platforms nailed to the walls, and flowers pots, small house-like structures spread everywhere, and a large bee hive in the far-left corner, and a cocoon made out of spider webs in the opposite one. In the center of the room was a big, bright white palace, and beside it, was a crimson circus tent. The palace belonged to the royal family and the tent to Grimm and his troupe, the hive was Vespa’s and her bees, and the cocoon was Herrah and the other spider’s home. The rest of the structures were the homes of the lesser bugs, some having come to see you, others not caring at all about the new tenant of the house. As long as their life style wasn’t disturbed, everything was fine. That worked for you too.

You waited for the bugs to put the children to sleep, after which you bid them all good night and followed James back to the first floor where your room was. You really liked it. It was small bedroom, modeled in a Victorian fashion like the rest of the house. The bed was rather large with a cream-colored cover decorated with dark flower patterns over a thick white blanket and many pillows, white and black. The brown furniture consisted of a large closet and a desk, an armchair with white tapestry placed in front of it. The windows were long, leading to a small balcony facing the backyard bathed in the silver moonlight now, and the curtains were in two layers, the first being thick and the color of chestnuts, while the one underneath was made out of white lace. Your room also had a bathroom, all white and cozy, with an old and clean bathtub that you could easily submerge in, when it was full of water.

“This is amazing!” you said, unable to believe how cool it was. Not even in your wildest dreams did you ever believe you’d have the chance to live in a room like that.

“I know, right? I was always fond of the Victorian England. The class, the beauty, it has a certain… magic, don’t you think?” your uncle motioned to the furniture and the bedsheets.

“Totally agree with that. How did you afford all this?”

“My job as a historian pays pretty well and I also made quite a name for myself in the world of those interested in the supernatural. Many pay a good fortune for me to come and give my opinion on certain matters dealing with the occult. Nothing too dangerous, of course. An amulet that it’s rumored to make one have only pleasant dreams, a seal meant to ward off evil spirits, a ring that shines when given to the destined one… small things like that.”

“Wow! That’s cool.” you said, wondering why your parents never told you anything about him.

“I also evaluate old pieces of art and furniture from time to time, help with auctions… what can I say? I’m living my life just as I want it to… just… as I want it to.” he repeated the last part much melancholier.

You stopped admiring the room and looked at him. You saw the loneliness in his eyes and were confused. He had such a wonderful house and was surrounded by all those bugs. How could he not be happy? You were on cloud nine, after only a few minutes here and given how loud those guys were, you could hardly imagine a moment when you’d feel lonely. Still, you didn’t question him. You felt like it wouldn’t be appropriate. He wished you a good night and left you alone.

Tired, you got ready for bed, still expecting the events of today to be a mere dream that you will soon wake up from. The rain began once more, the pitter patter of the waterdrops crashing against the window, felt a lot less heavy now that your heart was at ease. You didn’t have any more reasons to want to leave. Rather, you were happy to stay here. You had to get used to the bugs, but that was doable. They were a lot less scary than the ordinary insects. Slowly, as you recalled each event, from meeting the Radiance to helping the White Lady and Pale King put the little ones to sleep, your eyes closed, and you let yourself be embraced by the sweetness of sleep.

You didn’t know what time it was, only that the sky was still dark, with the moon watching over the world, now that the rain was gone. You woke up, feeling something warm next to your face and could distinguish a faint, red glow nearby. You strained your eyes and the sight left you speechless. Next to you, Grimm was holding Ghost and Grimmchild in his arms, Pure sleeping beside him with Hornet.

“Oh, Wyrm! I’m so sorry, (Y/N).” Grimm whispered as he woke up and found you watch them, dumbfounded. “The little ones really wanted to come here, and I couldn’t say no. We’re going to leave now…”

“No. No. It’s ok. You guys can stay.” you said and smiled. Truth be told, you were amazed you didn’t scream as you would normally do. These bugs have already grown on you despite the short time you’ve known them.

He thanked you, smiling, cuddling the children closer to his chest. You didn’t know why the Radiance didn’t like him, but it wasn’t exactly any of your business. They had to solve their problems on their own. That was for the best.

As you closed your eyes, he began to hum a lullaby, and you drifted back to sleep, dreaming of foreign lands, of kingdoms and cities, things you’ve never seen before, amazing and sad, beautiful and weird.


	5. End of summer

The streets were not as crowded as you imagined and you easily found the way to the bookstore, which thankfully was right next to the high school. You also found a bakery and a nice park, a few cafes, toy stores and the museum where your uncle was working, though he spend more time on field rather than in an office. The town was quite nice, with its old buildings and the scent of last night’s rain, still lingering in the air. It wasn’t big and you could see it all in half a day’s time. Your uncle’s house was a good thirteen minutes away and that made things easier for you. You enjoyed the walks, the silence and the smell of the trees and grass. You were living in a small paradise. 

You bought a pretzel and a cup of lemon tea from one of the cafes near the park, then took a sit on a bench, under an old chestnut tree, away from anyone that may see you and your unusual friends. Thankfully, the cold weather kept people at home, save for a few parents that really needed to find a way to deplete their children’s energy. They were too busy with their own problems to pay any attention to you.

“Ok, guys. You can come out.” you whispered to the insides of your bag.

Four bugs came out and quickly climbed on your shoulder taking the bits of pretzel you were giving them. The five of you ate in silence, paying attention to your surroundings, careful not to be seen. You didn’t exactly know how to explain to others why you had bugs eating pretzels on your shoulders. Not to mention, if you had the bad luck to run into someone who had the habit of meddling into other people’s business, then you were in for a really bad day. You didn’t want to let anything happen to the little ones, especially since their parents probably had no idea where they were. You, yourself, were shocked when you opened your bag, back at the bookstore only to find Pure, Ghost, Hornet and Grimmchild looking up to you from the inside of your wallet.

You quickly ran to the bathroom, to have a discussion with the little rascals. 

“What are you doing here?!” you began as soon as you closed the door of the bathroom stall behind you.

“We wanted to go outside. We’ve never seen the town before.” Hornet responded looking at you as if there was nothing wrong. Pure was bowing their head in apology, while Grimmchild was chewing on Ghost’s antlers, paying you no attention.

“So you decided to tag along?! Do your parents even know you’re here?”

“Nope. Do you really think they would have let us?”

“Dear Lord! We need to go back home. Now! Get in here.” you opened your bag again, and as Pure took the other two, ready to get in, Hornet stopped them, giving you the angriest look you’ve ever seen.

“We’re not going. Not now, at least. One more hour.”

“What? No! We’re going now.”

“Nope. One more hour.”

“No. Do you have any idea how worried they may be now?” These little ones’ parents were Higher Beings. Higher Beings! Well, Herrah wasn’t but even so! No one in their right minds would want to mess with them!

“If you take us home now, I’ll destroy this!” Hornet jumped in your bag and wrapped a string around a small, red box, holding a needle above it, ready to pierce it.

Your face went completely white, even more than the others. That… anything but that.

“Ok. Get in. I saw a park on the way here. We can go there and stay for a bit. How does that sound?” you said, relief washing over you when Hornet nodded and let the others come in. Pure was once more apologizing to you. Poor baby. Were they always dragged in their siblings’ shenanigans?

“It’s really nice.” Hornet said and you nodded in agreement.

Her string was still attached to the box in your purse, making it impossible for you to try anything. Even as you stayed here, enjoying a snack and a hot cup of tea, surrounded by trees and the cold air, the mere thought that something may happen to that, kept you on the edge.

Ghost and Grimmchild were fascinated by the world around them. Being so small, they weren’t even allowed in the backyard, afraid that they might get lost or something. Now, they were enjoying the moment, the chance to finally see what the world beyond those four walls was like. Pure was also enjoying themselves, though they kept a close eye on their siblings. The curse of being the oldest, always having to look after the youngest. You wondered how come they were so dedicated to their family. What wondrous magic did the Pale King do to obtain such a child. Your mother locked you and your sisters in the same room for a week, allowing you to come out only to eat and go to the bathroom, hoping that you would get along with each other in the end. Needless to say, it didn’t work, but hey! at least, you didn’t kill each other during that time. That was something.

Hornet hardly kept herself from running away and jumping into the grass, hunting the other bugs and the small birds she could see. However, she wasn’t completely cold hearted. She knew the predicament she put you in, the consequences of her and her siblings’ actions. She had to stay put for now, but she will have her chance, soon.

You ate and drank your tea in silence, helping the bugs sip some of it as well. Thankfully, it had gotten colder, so you didn’t have to worry about them getting their tongues fried. You also asked the guy not to put any kind of sugar in your tea. You didn’t want to risk anything with these children.

The sky began to get darker, heavy clouds gathering over the small town. You looked up, just in time for a water drop to hit your forehead and roll down your nose. You had no umbrella with you, despite your uncle advising you to take one. If you had been alone, you wouldn’t mind walking in the rain, but now that these children were with you, you took no such liberty.

“Ok. That’s our cue to get back home. Make sure to hold on tight.” you said and opened your bag.

This time, nobody had anything against it. Once they got comfortable, you closed the bag quickly and made a ran for it all the way home.

“I’m so sorry! I really didn’t know they were with me.” you apologized profusely, hoping that Herrah will find it in her heart to forgive you. Fat chance.

Pure was by your side, trying to explain to their parents what happened and why you couldn’t come back earlier. They were somehow understanding, but still mad, nonetheless.

“What is it in that box that is so important to you, anyway?” Herrah asked, looking at the object in question. It was so small; she could easily use it as a bed. She couldn’t help but feel proud of her daughter. So young, yet she already knew what she wanted and how to get it, unafraid to use any means to get her hands of it.

The others didn’t share her feelings though, maybe only the Pale King. He couldn’t deny that he was impressed by Hornet’s tactics, but he would have preferred her to be more thoughtful. The White Lady was just glad that Pure was there to take care of their siblings and Grimm could barely bring himself to get a word in, thanks to his son’s constant chirps of joy. How could he be mad seeing his child’s happiness? Curiosity however did not spare him. Holding his own offspring and Ghost in his arms, he approached the box together with the others, eagerly waiting for the mystery’s revelation.

You sighed and opened the box, your every move carefully watched by multiple inspecting eyes. Inside, there was a small, round pocket watch made out of a yellow dyed metal with five diamonds placed around a round shape, surrounded by leaves. It was beautifully made, the details carefully constructed, but time has left its mark on it. The yellow paint was scratched here and there, there had to be another rock in the middle of the shining petals but now it was missing, and the chain was gone. The bugs admired the handiwork, impressed by it. The Pale King motioned to you, asking to open it and you did. You lifted the lid, revealing the cracked glass, and the hands that were not moving. The middle of the watch showed the old, rusted gears that did not work anymore.

“Where did you get it, my dear?” the Radiance asked, passing her feathers over the transparent surface.

“My great-grandmother gave it to me, before she died. It’s a heirloom that’s been in my family for 5 generations.” you said, remembering your great-grandmother’s smile as she gave you the box with the pocket watch. Ever since you were a little girl, you fell in love with the small piece of antique jewelry.

“It’s so beautiful.” The White Lady admired the work, her husband next to her, tracing the shape of the gears, examining the glass and trying to figure out the mechanism behind. He could get it to work again. After all, it would be a shame to leave it in that sorry state, let alone, allow it to degrade further.

“May I have it for a few days? I believe I can fix it, given the time to learn how it works and obtain the necessary materials.” he looked at you, ever so politely, waiting for your answer.

“You think this can be fixed?” the thought made you happy, but you didn’t want to cling to false hope.

“Don’t worry about that. Our dear Wyrm can do whatever he wishes if he puts his mind to it.” Grimm assured you. He shared the King’s feelings. The watch was too beautiful to just let it rot away. He was already thinking about the cans of paint in the attic which he could use to fix the damaged case. As for the missing rock in the middle of the flower, James had a crystal collection that will surely not miss a few pieces.

“Thank you, your Highness.” you took the box to the second floor, where the King’s palace was located.

Some beetles came out and took it to the Wyrm’s workshop. He got to work on it right away, together with Grimm who had Brumm and Divine get him some paint from the attic. You left them alone and went to your room, where you found the little, black bugs jumping in your bed, with the Radiance, Herrah and Midwife, carefully watching over them. You paid them no mind and began unpacking the rest of your belongings, chatting with the female bugs from time to time, while listening to some Peter Grundy with whom the Radiance already fell in love with. The children were playing and dancing on the tunes of the melodies, especially the Grimmchild. He kept on flying around Ghost, swirling around and laughing in his adorable way.

“How about pizza?” James asked you, looking over the take out menu of a fast food restaurant.

“Sound good to me. Hey, anyone wants mint tea?” you looked at the bugs gathered in the salon.

Everyone nodded, before returning to their activities, listening to Brumm and another bug, Myla, sing to them. Most of the insects were here, save for a few that were sleeping, or outside looking for prey, since human food was not at all to their liking. You were surprised that they could eat it at all. Herrah and the White Lady were tired, relaxing now after putting the little ones to sleep, except for Hornet and Ghost that seemed to never run out of energy. The Pale King and Grimm were talking about how to fix the pocket watch, together with another bug, showing him drawings of gears and cogs. Pure was listening to the Mantis Lords and three other bugs talking about ways to fight, too tired to entertain their baby siblings. Monomon was reading some papers that James wrote for her, making them as small as possible so it would be easier for her to hold them. Quirrel was keeping Ghost and Hornet company, watching a dung beetle juggle with some rubber balls. Cornifer and Iselda, a couple that liked to adventure through the house from time to time, together with two others, Elderbug and Sly, were staring out the window, the rain bathing the world once more. The sound of the falling waterdrops reminded many of the bugs of their homes, back in Hallownest. They missed the City of Tears with its constant rainy weather. They couldn’t complain about their current lifestyle though. At least that blasted infection was gone.

The Radiance came to sit on your shoulder, together with Vespa who brought you some honey to add to the tea. You thanked her and poured the boiling water in a large bowl filled with tea bags.

“Take out again, James?” the Moth threw an accusatory look towards your uncle, but he waved her off, waiting for the restaurant to pick up.

“What are you going to eat?” you asked her, opening the fridge and looking at what was left from last night. There were some salad and fruits, but nothing else. You should have checked it in the morning and buy some groceries. Well, you had nothing special planned for tomorrow, might as well go in town again. Hopefully, this time there won’t be any more surprises.

“Those peaches are still good? I thought they would be stale by now. We better eat them. Put them on a plate and I’ll cut them.” the Radiance said, and you wondered how long they have been there. And how did James actually live. From what you heard so far, he wasn’t the most responsible man, but he was working so you couldn’t really blame him.

You washed the peaches and put them on a large plate, together with some grapes. When you went to get a knife from the drawer, the Radiance stopped you.

“I said, I’ll do this, didn’t I?”

“How?”

“Darling, I’m not a Higher Being for nothing. Watch this.” she closed her eyes and twelve shining swords appeared around her. They began to cut the fruits, swiftly and quickly.

You looked at her in awe, and she delighted in your gaze. How could she not? She was a god, after all. She may have resigned herself to live without being worshiped, without having control of her subjects, but deep down, she still longed to be adored. Old habits die hard.

Once the fruits were cut and ready, you took the plate to the living room, followed by your uncle, stomachs growling from both of you. Apart from that pretzel that morning, you ate nothing else and now your gut was desperately screaming for some food. You sat by the window, looking at the rain with the others, listening to their stories and trying not to think of the constant rumbling in your abdomen. Cornifer had great talent at describing the lands he had seen, the wonders and the horrors, the creatures he met. You found yourself longing to see them, wanting to draw the scenery.

“How many people know about them?” you asked, before taking another bite of the spicy slice of pizza, hot sauce dripping on the plate.

“Not many, to be honest. You, me and two more friends of mine, but that’s it. I don’t want them to have a hard time and from my experience, the less people know about the supernatural, the better.” he answered and cut himself another slice. 

You nodded in silent agreement, understanding what he meant all too well. Even you were surprised to see how well you took it all in. You were expecting to scream and run away faster than Usain Bolt, but you actually began to care for these odd beings. Especially for those four rascals. They were just too cute to resist.

After you ate and washed the dishes, you went back to the salon, where Brumm and Myla took a well-deserved break from singing, and now the radio was on, broadcasting the old song of the 80’s. You stood there for a few more minutes, before going to bed. Given that you had to go back to town the next day, you wanted to go early to avoid the crowds and enjoy the morning scent and silence.

And just like that, another day was over. The summer holiday was coming to an end, and soon, you will face the greatest challenge of your life so far. High school.


	6. Welcome to Hell

You checked your bag again, making sure for the 3rd time that there were no bugs hidden in it this time. You even looked inside the pockets of your jeans and jacket, and practically anywhere they could hide. Hornet and Ghost tried to sneak in that morning twice, but you and Herrah caught them every time. Fortunately, they stopped after you promised them that you’ll take them to the park as soon as you came back, but it was better to double check now and then. Everyone wished you good luck before you left, and Grimm suggested that you could make a list of all the people you didn’t like so he could give them nightmares. Yeah, apparently that was his power. You nodded, actually considering his offer in your mind. James had to leave early, but he made sure to leave you a note wishing you a good day.

As you walked the long road to high school, you admired the beautiful, grey sky, waiting to unleash its tears once more upon the sleeping town. You actually prayed for it to happen, right in the middle of the opening ceremony, which was held outside, in the main court. It was just a lot of useless talk anyway. Why they even bothered with it, was beyond you. Everyone was just eager to go to class, meet their new classmates and then just go home and regret the end of summer. The speeches given by the guests, as they called the mayor, the firemen and so on, were long and boring and barely anyone paid attention to them. Especially those unlucky enough to be in the Mathematics and Information class. They were too busy to wallow in their misery, at the bad luck they had. Mr. Gibson was confirmed to be the form teacher of that class. It was going to be four merry years of complete hell!

Just as you expected, the court was crowded, parents trying to push themselves in front despite being told that only students could be there. Not that they could be blamed. It was their children’s first day of high school, one of the many steps they had to take on their way to adulthood. Of course, they wanted to be in the best seats to witness that.

You tried to make your way to the front row, doing your best not to push and bother too many people. Yeah! In your dreams maybe! Nobody was willing to move, cussing you out, calling you rude, trying to push you back. You had none of it! You gave up trying to be nice and were ready to cause a fight, when someone touched your shoulder. You turned around to see a woman and her daughter, the girl holding a bouquet of flowers, and looking pretty scared.

“Excuse me, young miss…” the woman began, “do you by any chance know where the Mathematics and Information class should gather?”

“Yeah. We should be in the front row, but…” you motioned a hand towards the crowd of people that refused to move, “the path is not exactly clear.”

“Oh! Well… nothing we can do I guess.” the woman said looking at the sea of people.

“Unfortunately. By the way, my name is (Y/N). I’m also in the Mathematics and Information class. Nice to meet you.” you extended a hand to the girl, happy to meet one of your classmates so soon.

“Hi! I’m Anne. Nice to meet you.” she shook your hand, a smile blooming on her face. She must have been very stressed. “Hey, do you know if it’s true that Mr. Gibson will be our form teacher?”

“Yeah. It’s true.” you sighed and patted her on the shoulder.

Anne thanked you, her face now wearing a heavy expression. She turned to her mother and handed her the flowers.

“Mom, I can’t give him flowers. Please take them home.”

“No. Give them to him. It doesn’t matter.” her mother waved her off.

“No! Please take them. It’s going to be weird.”

“You don’t know that. Beside, maybe there will be others with flowers. You never know.”

“That doesn’t help me.”

The conversation didn’t continue as the ceremony finally started. The speech was long and boring. Some were dozing off, others complaining that it was taking too much time, and they had to be somewhere. A group of teenagers were laughing loudly and joking, too bored to listen to the poems learned by heart by the mayor and principal. Teachers were telling them off, but they didn’t care. They were high schoolers now, too cool to obey authority anymore.

Anne looked at them worried.

“I hope none of those are our colleagues.”

“If they are, at least, Mr. Gibson won’t pay any attention to us.” you tried to joke, but you couldn’t help but share her concerns. You knew their type and had more than enough of it.

“They announced the classrooms.” Anne’s mother told both of you.

“It’s over already?” you asked, surprised but, the first raindrops answered your question.

“The Mathematics and Information class had room 201. Wait a bit, for now. The door is too crowded.” she said, and she was right.

Everyone was rushing to the small door, quickly to get in. There was no way to get in without being squashed. You, Anne and her mother stood far from the door, chatting and trying to ignore the rain that was slowly getting heavier. After three minutes, you entered the building finally, and looked for your classroom. You found it on the second floor, right in front of the staircase. Nobody was inside yet. The desks were large enough to fit three people in.

“How about we sit in the first desk?” Anne asked and you agreed.

Your eyesight was quite bad, when it came to the blackboard. Especially, when it was wet. The chalk could be barely seen.

More people came in, and fortunately, none were the teenagers from the ceremony. Slowly, you guys began to talk to each other, the main subject being Mr. Gibson, of course. Your colleagues were fun to talk to. They knew how to joke around and neither of them had that smug and arrogant air around them. Other students would come and peek inside the classroom, studying your faces and leaving before any of you had the chance to ask them anything.

“Seems like everyone is curious to see who the unlucky ones are.” one of your colleagues, Eddie said, after another guy left.

You paid them no attention and continued to talk with Anne. She was the only one with flowers, unfortunately. You could see her face growing more and more worried. She put the bouquet in the drawer of the desk, hoping to make them somehow disappear. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Patting her back, you offered some comforting words that she really appreciated, showing her gratitude with a smile.

After a few more minutes, the man of the hour, Mr. Gibson finally showed up, bringing a graveyard silence along with him. No one made any more sounds, as if they suddenly turned to stone. Smiling faces turned solemn. He was an old man, around his 50s, with a grey beard covering his mouth, his short hair the same color. He went to the desk in the farthest corner of the classroom, his eyes expressing nothing beyond the thick framed glasses he was wearing. To him it was just another day at work. You and your colleagues were just another bunch of brats that he had to look after for four years. There was nothing to be happy about. He studied each face quickly, as if looking at a still sea from the safety of the shores on a cloudless day.

“First, I want to congratulate you for making it here. You worked hard and what comes will be even harder.” he said, his voice was so monotone and quiet, most of you had trouble hearing him even from the front row. “This is your schedule for tomorrow. It’s still not certain if it will stay like this, but I will announce you if any changes are to occur.” he began to write the classes and their order on the blackboard.

Notebooks and pencases were quickly taken out, the sound of zippers being opened finally disturbing that heavy silence. Words were quickly scribbled on white papers, accompanied by sighs and puffs. The schedule wasn’t bad, but it could’ve been way better. First thing tomorrow morning, sports, followed by math and Chemistry. It couldn’t be better. After that, the next classes were French, Latin and lastly, Coordination. Well, so far, Tuesday was the winner of Worst Day of The Week.

“Well, this is it. Class dismissed.” and with that Mr. Gibson left the classroom.

Everyone looked at him and then at each other. Hmm… shouldn’t he have given you the textbooks? Nope? Well, it was official then. Welcome to hell!

Anne looked at the flowers, sighing and getting ready for her mother’s lecture. In her defense, Mr. Gibson just came and went, barely exchanging a word with you guys, other than what was strictly necessary.

“It’s going to be fine.” you tried to assure her. Her mother seemed like such a sweet lady, yet those were always th scariest ones, weren’t they?

“I hope so. Where do you live?” Anne asked you, distracting herself from the burden in her hand.

“With my uncle not far from the town. You?”

“A village called Ciucur. It’s pretty far, so I need to take the bus every day from now on. You’re lucky to be living here. You get to sleep more.” she sighed.

“Not really.” you thought of the bugs who liked to wake up early, eager to start a new day and which in turn, woke you up as well. Divine and Emilia took great interest in your wardrobe as of late and until you didn’t try at least 5 different outfits every morning before going somewhere, they weren’t satisfied. Today had been especially hectic. All of the bugs assisted in choosing your clothes, the weavers trying their best to braid your hair, as you changed outfits as soon as you put one on.

“Why do you have so much black in here?!” the Radiance cried, tossing another shirt in disapproval.

“As much as I hate agreeing with my sister, you need a new wardrobe, my dear.” Grimm added, looking at the plain clothing that were now all over the floor.

“Like you’re one to talk.” you snapped back at him. Clothes shopping. That’s the last thing you needed to worry about now when after a close inspection, the state of the house was more dire than at a first glance. There were so many things needed, from food that disappeared in the blink of an eye, to cleaning supplies.

In the end, they settled on a pair of white, skinny jeans with a long-sleeved, plain, black shirt and a biker jacket. You thanked them, mostly for finally deciding on something, and made a run for it, before anyone had the chance to propose another fashion show.

As long as the bugs were around, there was no such thing as sleeping as much as you wanted. James told you to just ignore them, but how could you do that when the children came and begged you to come and play?

You and Anne chatted for a bit more until her mother came, caring bags of groceries. She didn’t seem very disappointed, seeing the flowers still in her daughter’s hands. Shortly after, the bus came, and they bid you goodbye. You went home, a bit tired and honestly, not feeling like going out again for the day, but you had a promise to fulfill after all and Hornet did not seem like the type to forgive people who did not honor their word.


	7. Family

“How was the first day?” James asked as soon as you came back from the park, together with a happy Hornet, Bloom and Broke, two other children that were eager to see the world.

The White Lady had her restrains about letting them go without Pure, but not even she could deny them this little joy and her oldest was already busy training with the mantis lords. Ghost and Grimmchild were with Quirrel exploring the attic of the house, something they liked to do from time to time. You promised to take good care of them and off you went, praying in your mind to have the same luck like last time and you did… kind off. Someone passed by you in the park, just as you held the little ones in your hand helping them reach a lower branch of the chestnut tree so they could get some of the leaves and play with them. The guy gave you some odd looks, but thankfully, said nothing. If you were a nut case, he wanted nothing to do with you. If you were not in a public park, you would have played some music on your phone. You were in the mood for some good old rock, but after a nasty experience, back home when you listened to your favorite band, in your own garden, mind you! you decided against it.

“It was ok. The others seem really cool. Made a new friend.” you said, letting the little ones go to their mothers.

“That’s great. By the way, your mother called. She wanted to speak to you. I told her you’ll call her back.” James said and returned his attention to the papers in front of him.

“Ok. Thanks. By the way, what are you working on?”

“Oh! This? Just some documents for the new exposition that’s scheduled to open this winter.” he sighed and rubbed his eyes, obviously tired.

“Rough day?” you asked, looking for a way to lift his spirits.

“Too many idiots to deal with.” he said.

“Maybe you should ask Grimm to give them nightmares. At least… what?” you stopped when you saw your uncle’s eyes light up. Did… did he seriously consider that? Not that you didn’t but you were a dumb teenager. Surely, he knew better, right?... Right?!

Thankfully, the rumbling of his stomach gave you the chance to change the subject. You offered to cook some chicken and veggies at which your uncle eagerly agreed. He was starving. After you both ate and served the bugs too, you went out to the backyard, deeply inhaling the night air. The cold felt so reinvigorating. The bees were flying around, still working even at this late hour. A guardian carrying one of Pale King’s children on his back came to greet you, the little one happily waving their tiny hands. You smiled and gently patted them, before they flew to join the others and help them. You took a sit on the cold stairs in front of the door, watching the bees’ work. The flowers needed to be weeded out but given the current weather and the fact that you forgot your rubber boots at home, you couldn’t get to it yet. Ah! This wasn’t why you came here!

You took out your phone and pressed on the contacts icon, looking for the one that said Mother. You pressed it and waited, listening to that ring that always took too long, whenever you called but could not take more than two seconds whenever the roles were reversed.

“Hello.” her voice was tired, more than usual. Why did she never take a break?

“Hi, mom. How are you?” you tried to appear calm. This time it won’t end bad.

“Tired. How was the first day of school?”

“Fine. Everyone’s nice.” you let out a breath. So far so good.

“Glad to hear.”

Silence. Talking to her was never easy lately. It used to be, but somewhere along the way, it changed. It happened before the accident.

“(Y/N).”

“Yes, mom?”

“Try not to mess this up, please.”

Ah! Here it is.

“It wasn’t my fault.” a tear formed in the corner of your eye, but you quickly wiped it away. Too late. Your voice trembled. They noticed.

“I never said it was… It’s just…” she tried to make it sound different, make it anything else but an accusation. She tried to hide her exasperation. At least, you had to give her credit for that.

“It’s just that I’m not normal. This is what you want to say, right?” Sick of lies. Sick of all this pretending. Let’s just say it as it is. Get it over with already.

“Yeah. Try to fit in. Stop being… stop being so…”

Stop being so you.

“I got to go. Call you tomorrow. Good night.” you hung up before she could say anything.

The guardian came closer and rubbed his head on your cheek, while the child on it back jumped on your shoulder and patting it, the same way the White Lady patted their father so long ago, when he was burdened by a great misfortune which had befallen his kingdom. The others did the same, trying to offer comfort. One soldier even tried to destroy your phone, but you stopped him in time. You thanked them. Such lovely creatures. You stayed there for a while longer, until they all made sure you were truly alright and returned to their duties. The child stayed behind, ready to go back inside together with you, back to their parents’ arms.

“Thank you, (Y/N).” the White Lady took her child, which was half sleep by now and bid you good night, disappearing inside the palace where the rest were already tucked in their beds.

You turned to leave when the Radiance appeared in front of you, her eyes filled with worry. She smelled like honey, meaning she must have been talking with Vespa.

“Are you ok, dear? You don’t look so good.” she asked.

“I’m fine. A bit tired. It’s been a long day, after all.” truth, half of it. You didn’t want to worry her.

“You know, you can tell us if something bothers you. We are family after all.” her words nearly made you cry.

You thanked her, trying not to cry and left to your room. You were ready to get in, when you heard noise on the other side. In a puff of red smoke, Grimm appeared on the drawer next to your chamber. He looked at you surprised.

“(Y/N)! I didn’t expect you home so soon.” he said looking worried at the door.

“Soon? Grimm, it’s nearly 10 o’clock. What is going on?” you put your hands on your hips, giving him the meanest look you were capable of.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what happened to you. I can tell when someone is about to cry when I see them. Well?” he looked at you, arms crossed. His scarlet eyes seemed to be staring into your soul.

“I-I’m fine. T-There’s nothing wrong.” you stuttered, your voice about to break.

“(Y/N), do not lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. Now, tell me what is going on in my room. I want to go to sleep.”

It was a full-on staring contest now, neither of you, wanting to give in. The loser had to tell the truth. You didn’t want to do it. Were there even words to express how you felt? A minute passed and you already felt tears gathering at the corners of your eyes, the need to blink growing stronger, while the Troupe Master didn’t seem phased at all. Come to think of it, did you ever see him blink? Just as you were about to give in, the door creaked and Divine together with some weavers appeared in the doorway, looking at both of you, surprised.

“Oh, (Y/N)! You have to see this. Your clothes are so beautiful now! The weavers did a wonderful job with the new patters!” Divine clapped her claws and gave you a bright smile.

Your jaw dropped. Y-Your clothes were what?! You stormed in the room, careful not to step on anyone, and saw all your shirts, jeans and shawls spread on the floor, new patterns and strips of colored fabric sewn into them. They were… they were really cool. The plain black was now filled with white flowers of all kinds, ribbons and other accessories decorating your jeans. Some of your shawls were destroyed, the pieces stitched on the other garments. You looked at the clothes and then at the bugs. The weavers, Grimm and Divine were smiling as widely as they could. 

“T-Thank you guys. I-I really don’t know what to say.” you kneeled, letting the bugs climb in your hands. You hugged them as gently as you could.

“Now, you won’t need to buy clothes for a while.” Grimm said and smiled.

You took the bugs back to their room, then returned to your room. You spend a good hour putting everything back in the closet, taking your time to admire each piece. They were so classy now. No one would have believed that they used to be some plain shirts. You had to repay Grimm and the others for this. You planned to ask Herrah and Brumm for ideas on how to do it tomorrow.

After taking a shower, you crawled into bed and closed your eyes, ready to get some sleep.

It was a sweet melody, gentle and slow, accompanied by warmth and the feeling of feathers running across your cheek. You tried to open your eyes, when you heard the Radiance, hush you back to sleep.

“Shh. It’s ok, my dear. Sleep. Everything is ok.” her voice was calm, taking on a motherly tone.

You recognized Brumm’s accordion, and Grimm’s warm touch on your cheek. There was something else, and then you heard Grimmchild’s chirping, his little wings ticking your nose. You slowly fell asleep again, thanking the Lord for giving you the chance to meet them.

In the morning, you found out that you had more visitors than you expected. All of Pale King’s children, him and White Lady included, some bees, Herrah, Lurien and Monomon sleeping all around your bed and on the pillows you didn’t use. You held back tears and gently caressed the ivory heads of the bugs, at least those you could reach. The Radiance made a cute chirping sound, while Grimm and his child purred. Wait. What?!

You didn’t have much time to be amazed at the new discovery when your eyes fell upon the clock on your phone. 7:30.


	8. Grimm is cat. Fight me.

You exhaled in relief after the first class was over. You were lucky that your uncle was also late for work and he could take you to high school by car so wouldn’t be too late. Fortunately, the Sport’s teacher was late as well, due to a teacher’s meeting in the morning. Given that it was the first week of school, even the teachers were relaxed and were only giving you information on the way the class will unfold, the grading system and tried to memorize each of your names and faces.

“Um… (Y/N)?”

You looked at Anne, fighting to keep your eyes open. You were still tired, especially after the adrenaline from that morning wore off.

“What is it?” you asked, head on the table facing her. Wood felt less uncomfortable when you were tired.

“Um… I think you put your shirt backwards.” she said shyly, pointing to the seams on your sleeve.

Oh! Shot! You were in such a hurry that you didn’t even look at what you were wearing much less how you put it on. the only thing you were sure had on; was you jacket. You excused yourself and ran to the bathroom which was only on the first floor!

The break was almost over when you finally got in a stall, the smoke of cigarettes making you nauseous. You never understood why teachers fought so hard to forbid smoking. Everyone knew nobody cared. Girls still gathered in the bathroom stalls keeping an eye out for the teachers as some of them smoked a cigarette, then they switched places. Boys were gathering at the gate, outside not caring whether or not they were caught.

You got in and quickly changed, taking a good look at what you were wearing. Thank Lord, you managed to grab some great clothes in your rush. You had taken a black shirt with long sleeves and white floral patterns on the margins and around your collar, and a pair of ripped, skinny jeans. Thankfully, those were on right.

You got out, some girls complimenting your outfit as you got out of the smoke-filled bathroom. You thanked them and headed straight to the classroom. You entered just as the bell rang and sat down. 

“Your shirt is really nice.” Anne looked at the embroidery. “Where did you get it?”

“Ah… some friends of mine made it for me.” you said. It wasn’t entirely false, and you didn’t know how to tell her that you lived with a bunch of sentient bugs, among which were some spiders with the most amazing sewing skills you ever saw.

“It’s great….” she began to talk, when the door opened.

Everyone shut up as Mr. Gibson entered the classroom and headed to the desk, the register of the class in his hand. After checking the attendance, he began to write the lesson for that day. You and your colleagues were a bit surprised. You expected him to at least ask you guys to introduce yourselves a little, to tell you about the number of tests, how you would be graded, things about the class. However, nobody dared question him. Everyone began to write, trying to keep up with his speed.

Luckily, it was only a recap of the material from the previous years. Nothing new so far. His handwriting was small, and he was talking quietly, making it hard for you to keep up. In less then 10 minutes, he filled the entire blackboard, and that thing wasn’t small! He stepped away from it and looked through the desks, everyone busy writing.

“Who’s on duty?” his voice caught everyone’s attention, making 28 pairs of eyes stare at him.

Silence. Being the first day, nobody hadn’t thought about that.

“I’ll ask for the last time. Who’s on duty?”

No answer.

“You can’t even do something so simple. Are you all idiots? Take a sheet of paper. Since we can’t write on the blackboard, we’re going to have a test.”

Everyone’s jaw dropped, but you did what you were told, nonetheless. He began to dictate the questions, which were not easy and again, he was too quiet! Speak louder for cow’s sake! Didn’t he eat anything that morning?

“What was his problem? It’s the first day for crying out loud!” a girl called Ella shouted during break.

“It would have taken literally 5 minutes for someone to go and clean the blackboard. He went way overboard!” Ruth supported her desk mate.

Everyone was pissed by the surprise test. Not only were the questions long, you didn’t even have enough time to answer half of them. All of you handed the test unfinished. Great! First day, and it was already a mess! You thought about Grimm’s proposal again. Grimm. A thought creeped into your mind and you smiled.

“And we have Coordination at the end of the day too.”

Your smile disappeared as soon as you heard that. You looked at the boy who said that, with the meanest glare you could muster.

“Did you really had to say that?”

“Thank God! It’s over.” you said stretching your back as you and Anne headed to the bus station.

Mr. Gibson only came to tell the guys where to go and get the textbooks and left. After they brought them and everyone got theirs, you went home with a bag full of old books that weighted a tone. You decided to accompany Anne and keep her company until the buss came, given that it was still early. As you two headed towards the station, you passed by a pet store. In the front, they had some cat toys displayed and a particular one caught your attention. The thought from that day came back to you.

“Hey. Do you mind getting in here for a bit? I need to buy something.” you asked, trying not to smile like an idiot.

“Sure.”

You bought more things than you intended too, but it didn’t matter. It was money well spent. With arms full of bags, you pushed your back against the door, hoping to open it. Just your luck, it was closed with the key. You went to the backyard, looking for Vespa.

The queen was supervising the bees together with her knight, chatting with the White Lady at the same time. The children were helping and playing with the working bees, some riding guardians around, waving their hands. Most of the bugs were outside, enjoying the cloudless day. Cornifer was drawing a map of the tunnels some garpedes and goams dug underground. Some bugs wanted to move there apparently, the crawling spaces reminding them of their previous home and the garpedes didn’t mind. They only wanted to dig, nothing more. The Pale King even had plans to rebuild his kingdom, but he himself had no intention of moving there. Though he didn’t want to admit it, he preferred the warmth and safety that the house offered, and it was easier to keep a watch on his children there. The White Lady agreed with her husband, having grown fond of the plants and the greenery, the sun and its light. Keeping flowers underground was not an easy task. Grimm and the Radiance also preferred to be inside, mostly because they were worried about James, especially the Moth. She often asked herself how he was still alive.

When they saw you with your hands full of bags, everyone rushed at you, curious to see what was in them.

“Hey, (Y/N)! What’s with all that?” Vespa asked, landing on your shoulder, and peering inside one of the bags.

“Just a few things I bought. Mind opening the door for me? I can’t get my keys, right now.” you motioned to the bags in your arms. Your backpack began to feel heavy as well.

“Sure. Give me a second.” the queen flew to the door and unlocked it.

You thanked her and got in, followed by the children curious to see what you bought. You placed the bags on the floor and took out the cat bed you bought, smiling at the little ones.

“If you want to sleep in my room, from now on this will be your bed. Do you like it?” you put it in front of them and watched as the little ones began to jump on it and lie on the soft fabric, rolling around. You couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey, (Y/N)! How was your day?” the Radiance called out to you and your smile quickly disappeared.

“O-Ok.” you said and avoided her gaze, taking out a laser pointer and a teaser wand. Now where were Grimm and Grimmchild?

“Something wrong?” the Moth asked, seeing your expression.

“N-No. Um… do you know where Grimm is? I… I might want to try something.”

“Will it hurt him?”

“No! Of course not!”

“Will it make him mad?”

“Honestly? I think it might.”

“Let’s go find him.” Radiance gave you a really creepy smile and you couldn’t help but wonder what happened between these two.

You headed to the second floor and to the bug’s room, where Pale King and the Troupe Master were working on the pocket watch. The Wyrm was installing the new cogs, while the other one was busy choosing a stone to place in the empty slot between the diamond petals.

“Hey, brother! Come here for a second!” the Moth called out her sibling.

“Is it important?” he asked, taking another piece of crystal and tossing it aside.

“Yes, now move it!”

“Ok! Ok!” he mumbled under his breath and teleported in front of you, his arms crossed. He wanted to get back to work, not fond of the idea of spending time with his sister. His expression relaxed when he saw you, though. “Hi, (Y/N)! How are you? Do you need my help?”

“Um… sort of. Sorry, but I got to try this.” you said and turned on the laser pointer, a red dot appearing in front of Grimm.

“What are…” the Radiance began but stopped when she saw her brother lunge at it, trying to catch the circle.

Mission success! You moved the dot a little around, watching Grimm try to catch it and doing your best not to laugh. Oh! You were such an evil witch sometimes! As you let the dot in one place, the Troupe Master slowly approached it like a tiger hunting its prey, then jumped straight at it, but just as he was about catch it, his head bumped with Pure’s, both of them falling on the floor with a loud thud.

“Are you guys ok?” you quickly went to help them, while the Radiance was fighting to catch her breath through loud laughter.

Fortunately, neither of them were hurt. He gave his sister a dirty look, and casted a fire bat her way, while you continued to apologize.

“(Y/N).” he said, eyes delighted to see the Moth barely evading his attack

“Yes?”

“Promise me you won’t do that ever again. If not, I’ll make sure your sleep will never be peaceful ever again.” his tone was calm, mouth forming a smile which send shivers down your spine.

“I promise.” you promised, fearing him for the first time since you’ve met the Troupe Master.

That night you threw the laser pointer in the trash, but you kept the teaser wand at Pure’s request since the children actually enjoyed playing with it. You had to wonder, were this bugs or cats?


	9. How they all came together

Forget the rubber boots! That garden needed to be weeded out now!

The weekend was finally there, and you wanted to make use of it to the fullest especially after the results of the test came in. Some failed, others managed to do pretty well. What a surprise! You fortunately managed to score a five and avoid the start of the semester with a complete disaster. Still, that didn’t help easing your fears. Instead, it only scared you more. When Monomon and Pale King offered to help you out, you thanked them from the bottom of her heart. You were going to need all the help you could get.

Now, as Friday afternoon rolled around, you were head deep in the bushes of roses, naked fingers wrapped around a thistle, spines digging into your skin. You pulled the weed harder and harder, but it refused to give in. The bees were flying around you, doing their job and throwing amused glances your way every time you cussed out the rebellious plant. Finally, after 5 minutes of struggle, you won!

“I showed the stupid plant who’s boss!” you yelled holding the thistle in your hands, right above your head, ignoring the bits of dirt and soil falling on your face from its roots.

Everyone looked at you, worried about your sanity. Did the heat and sun get to you?

You tossed the thistle aside and went back to work. You didn’t even realize how much you missed to be in a garden surrounded by plants. Actually, you didn’t feel homesick at all. Maybe because the little ones kept you busy most of the time. Those babies were truly a handful. They fell in love with the cat bed you bought for them, and now refused to sleep anywhere else. However, it wasn’t big enough to fit all of them at once, so there was a rotation system in place. White Lady was overjoyed to see the little ones so happy and also pleased to see you so attached to them. She hoped that this level of love would make up for the pain they had been put through back in Hallownest. Pale King shared her feelings, even more when he went to the basement to see the others, the first vessels.

Just like their siblings, they took well to their change of surroundings, but maybe that was because he had brought void as well. However, he was relieved and happy to have been able to bring them along. To just leave them in Hallownest which was doomed to be destroyed, was too painful for him. How long ago it seemed now, the time when James first showed up.

Back then, he was at war with the Radiance, her infection causing countless casualties to his subjects. When James found them, the King thought he was on the Old Light’s side. To make matters worse, against his better judgement and the needs of his kingdom, he became attached to the vessels. They were his children after all! To sacrifice them once more, to abandon them in the Abyss, it became too much for him. He called for Grimm, praying that the Nightmare may offer the solution of his bane. Little did he know, there was a greater danger ahead. One that not even the Radiance could escape from.

There was a plan to build a new mall. James tried to stop it, but he could barely help himself from punching the one responsible for the project in the face. He hated nothing more than spoiled idiots with money that thought they knew everything, and they had the impression that everyone had to kiss the ground they walked on. James tried to be reasonable. He presented all the points and reasons why the project will fail. Of course, his arguments fell on deaf ears. Still, he believed in diplomacy. He wanted to have faith in humanity. He went to every office he could think of, requested all the necessary and unnecessary documents, ownership, history pf the land, everything. His work was all in vain, laughed at and thrown out the window. Yes, that… that man simply took the folder containing days of research and simply threw it out the window, calling them worthless waste of paper. That was the last straw for James.

“Fine! You want war? I’ll give you one!” James yelled as he slammed the door of his office.

He went to lawyer after lawyer, yet none wanted to help him, despite the arguments, despite the more than generous pay. That idiot bribed everyone to keep their mouths shut and close their eyes promising great profits in return. Having to admit defeat, James went to the site, determined to at least save whatever he could. To say he was surprised at his discovery was to undermine his reaction… and his fears.

That was how it all started, a long journey with many obstacles of earning the thrust of the peculiar bugs, avoiding the builders that already began to dig the ground and destroy the land.

Grimm and Monomon weren’t as scared as the Wyrm. They were intrigued and they actually tried to work with the giant being, but the barrier of communication and the lack of time made things harder than they already were. James called and asked everyone he knew and had the chance to help him. Most of his friends came running, enraged after hearing how bad the situation was. One of them fortunately, found a scroll in the Lost Library of Alexandria that taught the art of understanding tongues of animals and insects. The writing was old and nearly gone, but after sleepless nights, they managed to decipher it, enough to let the bugs know what was going to happen to their home.

Pale King wasn’t convinced at first, but Grimm had no nerves to deal with it. He grabbed the Wyrm by the collar and began screaming in his face.

“IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE MUD THIS INSTANT, I’LL BURN YOUR KINGDOM TO THE GROUND MYSELF! Can’t you understand what is going on?! We’ll be doomed if we don’t accept their help! Both you and Radiance are so self-absorbed you can’t even see what’s actually going on around you! Haven’t you noticed how the earthquakes became more frequent? How the caverns of Deepnest began to collapse on themselves? These beings want to help us! If you want to be stubborn and die, be my guest, but I want to live thank you very much! Were it not for your summons, I’d be free to leave, but I’m stuck here, tied by your darned magic into a contract that I had no say in! Not only your kingdom is at stake here anymore! My troupe, my FAMILY is also in danger because of you!” His rage was so great, the plants nearby caught on fire, scarlet flames devouring all they could.

This display scared even the Wyrm for he had never before seen the Troupe Master lose his merry façade. He didn’t even think Grimm could be able to feel such anger. However, his words reached their purpose. Pale King accepted to offer an audience to the giant being called James and hear his plan.

“Greetings, sir. I am the Pale King, ruler of this land. It has come to my attention that you have information of a terrible danger that shall befall my kingdom.” the Pale King said.

Grimm had to resist the urge to roll his eyes and punch him. Of all the times to be polite and formal, he had to pick this one. He had to act as a translator, since James still didn’t know their language too well, and he had learned enough of the human’s tongue to be able to speak it. He was a quick learner after all, and languages were a form of art. They were shaped by each nation to reflect itself. The other humans were also eager to help him learn, overjoyed by his curiosity. The temptation to butcher the King’s words and make a mockery of them was so sweet. No! He had to suppress it, to put up with this annoyance, but he will get the Wyrm back, that was for sure.

“Yes, your Highness. I am James, historian and researcher of the supernatural. With shame I must confess that it is someone of my kind that’s the source of your misfortune. With regret I inform you I failed to prevent it from happening, but I cannot simply close my eyes and let innocents die.” James’ tone was sincere. He meant every single word and even if he couldn’t understand his words, the Wyrm knew that he meant no harm.

“And what do you propose we do?”

“This land will soon be destroyed. To fight will be meaningless. Since my kind is the one responsible for destroying your home, I wish to provide you a new one, my own.”

“You propose we move in with you? Abandon our homes, the graves of our departed and…” the Pale King swallowed the node in his throat, his mind wondering to them, “the ones we love and leave to a place that might as well be a trap?”

“I know my words are cold hearted and what I ask is too much. If there was another way, I would gladly do it, but I’m afraid there is no other option.” James bowed his head in regret. He understood all too well what he asked, but what else could he do? None of his friends had the connections to put a stop to what was going to happen. The officials cared not for the earth and only for their pockets. These bugs were going to lose their homes, memories and dear places, all because of some greedy idiots. The least he could do to atone for the sins of his kind was to offer them his own home, to care for them and make sure all their needs would be met.

“I shall consider your offer. There are… many things to think about. You will have your answer tomorrow morning.” the Pale King replied and turned to leave, when one of the humans came holding none other than the Radiance. The Wyrm froze in place.

“Hm, so even now when danger is at your door, you need to act all high and mighty. You will never change, will you? Even me and my brother managed to reach a compromise despite our hatred for each other. The fact that you lead these bugs. I can only worry for their lives.” the Moth said, her tone infuriating the Pale Monarch. She was looking down on him.

The Wyrm shot a menacing glare towards Grimm, feeling betrayed, but the tall bug shrugged him off. Why didn’t he tell him anything? He looked back at Radiance, wishing to kill her there and then, but he had to restrain himself.

“What do you know about them? You cared not for them while they were under your rule. You kept them as mindless slaves and now you dare look down on their pain?! Or the suffering that YOU caused!” to keep his calm was a great effort, but to cause a scene now was to no one’s benefit.

As the two Higher Beings were staring daggers at each other, James felt his heart crumble. This was not the time to argue. The workers already told him that they were sick of seeing him and his friends and they had to be gone before the police got involved. There was no more time to waste. Thankfully, Grimm was just beyond sick of their petty arguments. He had a child to think of, the most important thing to him in the entire world. He teleported to Radiance grabbed her and teleported again to the Pale King, grabbed him too and headbutted the two Higher Beings. Everyone looked at him in shock, including his sister, who was ready to tear him apart, but he wasn’t done. Oh no! His cape lunged into the ground and emerged back as spikes that wrapped around Radiance and Pale King, keeping them in place. They tried to scream at him, but he was faster, and while he wasn’t yelling, his calm, threatening tone was enough to shut them up.

“You will cease your darned quarrel this very instant or so help me the Nightmare Heart, I will end both of you right this very moment. Now, you will make peace like good, little children once and for all. Are we clear?” both Higher Beings nodded, too scared to say anything else.

Grimm smiled and turned to each of them as he addressed them.

“Now, dear sister, you will cease the Infection and promise not to lay a hand on any of the bugs ever again.”

The Radiance wanted to protest, but the Troupe Master’s eyes took on the most frightening look she had ever seen, scarlet flames burning wildly. She nodded and sighed in relief when he turned his attention to the Wyrm.

“And you, my Wyrm, will go, tell the bugs, and I mean all bugs even those not under your rule, that they have to pack up and move unless they want to die. If they don’t want to, that’s on them, but you and your family better do it, because I’m bound to you, thus I must follow anywhere you go. And I am more than glad to accept James’ offer.” he said and released the two beings as soon as the King agreed.

“But my children?” The Wyrm asked, thinking of the Abyss, of the shades of his children haunting that place. “What… What will happen to them?”

“We take them with us of course! Can’t believe you even asked that. Lady Maria, may you please lend me that transportation scroll you showed me yesterday?” Grimm asked the woman who had brought Radiance.

She handed him a rather large piece of paper; strange inscriptions written upon it.

“This is a scroll that allows one to teleport in any place they wish. We have only one and the destination is already set to James’ house. We will place it in the Abyss and have one of my Grimmkin stay behind to activate it as soon as we reach safety and have a nice place prepared for them. The children and a large portion of the void will be brought to us, so their habitat won’t be disturbed too much. Any objections?”

“No.”

“Ok! We wasted enough time! Get moving everyone! The curtain must fall upon this stage and another must be set!”

As Grimm went to tell his troupe to pack up, Radiance and Pale King looked at him dumbfounded, knowing to never cross him ever again.

That was how they all came together, how they began to live under the same roof in a land so foreign of their own. Nobody was sure that it will work, but their worries were soon wiped away when they found out how much work it took to maintain a house… and that James wasn’t exactly the most… neat man in the world. His friends helped them get settled in and learn their language, to build their new homes and feed them. Not to mention that the children were all over the place, exploring ever crack and corner they could find. Before they knew it, the Radiance and the Pale King were working together, and that didn’t require Grimm to get angry and yell at them. Although neither of them wanted to admit it. Still the ever-proud brats as ever.

When James’ niece came to live with them, their collaboration was more obvious than ever, both adopting the girl as their own. The proof of that was that they both agreed to keep their old quarrel a secret, especially the children’s origin. It was cowardly, they were aware of the painful truth, but to burden her with their painful past was unnecessary. It would only hurt her, and they feared having her hate them. She was dear to everyone, and that will never ever change.


	10. Bath and bubbles

“Auch!” you whined, as Herrah and Hornet pulled another thorn out of your fingers. Those thistles made sure to leave you a painful reminder of their struggle.

“Oh! Shut up, already! Who told you to pull weeds without gloves on? Huh?!” the queen asked and pulled another spine.

You muttered an apology and looked out the window at the orange skies. Sunset was so beautiful now. Maybe you could sleep outside that night. It would have been nice. Ah! Wait. You had nothing to sleep on and garpedes didn’t care much about who they were eating. Ugh! You had to give up on the idea, returning to reality just as Ogrim stepped into the room and came straight to you.

“Oh! My lady, you smell wonderful! Not like my own scent, but it’s lovely nonetheless.” he said and bowed to you.

He was a very kind bug, but his comment made you gave him odd looks and quickly sniff yourself. Oh! Dear Lord! You reeked to high heavens! Ok! Time to have a bath!

As soon as Herrah and Hornet were done taking out the thorns out of your hands, you thanked them and ran straight to the shower in your bathroom, making sure to scrub every place as vigorously as you could. Feeling clean and fresh, water dripping off your hair, you plugged in the hair dryer ready to welcome the warm air. You pressed the on button, but nothing happened. You pressed it again but, again nothing, no annoying, loud noise, no gush of hot air. You sighed. Well, back to the towel method. With your hair pinned in a turban, you headed towards the salon, stomach demanding food. When you were at the staircase, you heard Ze’mer call out to you, to the second floor’s bathroom. You went there, wondering what she could need.

In there, you found White Lady and the knights, including Ogrim surrounded by large flat bowl filled with warm water and the children splashing each other. Pure was deep neck buried in their siblings, as they wanted to climb on their horns and jump into the water. White Lady was having a hard time trying to get them off. Still, they were so cute and adorable! You kneeled by them and gently caressed their heads as they grabbed your fingers and threw water at you. You chuckled and looked at the queen, ready to ask her what she needed help with when you heard a squeak and felt something rush past your ear and get into the collar of your shirt. You looked down to a shivering and whining Grimmchild together with a dirty Ghost, trying to hide under the cotton fabric.

“What is…” you were ready to ask when the answer came in the form of a red cloud of smoke on your shoulder.

“Here you were! Come now children! You need to ba…” Grimm’s phrase was interrupted by a fire ball to his face.

He frowned and wiped of the mark of ash and caught the children in his arms, ignoring his son’s biting his arm. Ghost didn’t put up too much of a fight, resigned to their fate.

“Do you need any help, Grimm?” you asked him.

He turned to you surprised. He didn’t seem to have noticed your presence until then.

“Ah (Y/N)! No, it’s ok. It’s not the first time my son is like this. I’m already used to it.” he smiled and dropped the little ones in a bowl, where other children were already finishing their bath.

“Ok. Anyone need any help?” you asked around.

Some children raised their hands and you began to gently rub their heads with small bits of soap. As you were helping them wash, you remembered something in your room. You excused yourself and got out of the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with a tube of soap bubbles.

“What is that, (Y/N)?” Dryya asked, avoiding a fire ball from a mischievous Grimmchild that was set on making everyone as miserable as he was.

“It’s a soap bubble tube. I hope it still works.” you shook the tube and uncapped it, taking the small wand and blowing into the circle at its end.

Soap bubbles appeared and flew around the room, much to the amusement of the little ones. Even the Grimmchild stopped his relentless attacks, mesmerized by the floating balls. You blew more bubbles as they popped, making the children jump in happiness. Everyone was enjoying the show, and as you were looking at each of them, you noticed Pure sleeping in their bowl, not even their siblings managing to disturb them.

Ever since you moved in, you’ve only seen them spend every day training, for long periods of time too. You caught the attention of their mother and gestured to them. She sighed and gently woke them up, asking Isma to help them get dressed after which you took them to the bedroom, carefully placing them in the cat bed. It was their turn after all. They quickly fell back asleep. You opened the Spotify app on your phone and played “Pure Imagination” by Flannel Graph, their favorite song, before returning to the bathroom to resume playing with the other children.


	11. I don’t work here lady!

Time passed by faster than you expected. October was almost over, November already knocking at the door. The teachers were going easy on you guys, given that Mr. Gibson made sure to drain you of all energy after his class was over. The homework took up most of your day, even with all the help you were receiving. Needless to say, the children weren’t happy at all with how you couldn’t play with them anymore. Grimmchild did try to set your text books on fire once, believing them to be the source of your distraction. You actually felt bad that he failed.

Besides math, you had a hard time with Chemistry, but thanks to Monomon’s help you had some decent grades. Latin was another pain in the neck, not the class itself as much as the teacher. Miss Milton was some 60-70 years old hag that should have retired ages ago. Her classes were beyond boring and she barely taught anything. She made you and your colleagues read some text in Latin, correcting you here and there and throwing some rushed translation in. James offered to help you, but he was already neck deep in his own work and still recovering from the headache he got after throwing a look at your history textbook. The other classes were ok, and you did manage to do quite well so far. 

You weren’t the only one exhausted from your duties. Ever since that bath episode, Pure began to fall asleep more often even during their training. At noon they couldn’t even play with their siblings anymore. Whenever you found them asleep, you would take them to the cat bed in your room and play their favorite songs on Spotify, while they relaxed. However, when they woke up, they were overcome with guilt for missing their tasks. That couldn’t continue anymore. After an… erm… “discussion” between the Pale Beings, the Wyrm told his child that they had every weekend from then on free to do whatever they wanted.

They didn’t know how to react to that. On one hand they had all that time to play with their siblings, but on the other… it felt strange to spend whole days without clashing nails with someone. They preferred to stay with you and offer to help supervise the little ones whenever you took them out. There were no words to describe how grateful you were for that.

Money come hard and go away in the blink of an eye. Whoever said that was a wise man. You had just gotten your allowance for that week and you were already stuck with a two-meter-long shopping list.

Turns out there were more things needed around the house than originally thought and now you were walking through the aisles of the store, looking at the list in your hand. Pure was sleeping in your shawl, snuggling against your neck together with Hornet and Ghost. Radiance was hiding in there as well, peeking out from time to time, to look at the items on display. She liked the department store, finding the vast amount of things interesting and besides, it was her first time out of the house.

“If you like this, wait until we go to the book store.” you told her, gently petting her head. Next door was a great library with a relaxed atmosphere and a build in tea house with the most delicious teas you ever tasted.

You had to buy some other cleaning supplies, together with some fabric to make the bugs new clothes – you just had to see the children in sailor suits and White Lady agreed after seeing some photos with human babies wearing ones– some food, mostly fruits and veggies, toys, books, paint and drawing tools.

You planned to watch some old Disney movie with the babies later than day, and as everyone knew in these situations, snacks were a must. As you were staring at the sweets and chips filled shelves, trying to make up your mind what to pick, Ghost, Hornet and Pure woke up, their senses triggered by the strong smells. Radiance was the first to notice them.

“Hey kids! Slept well?” she asked, and you looked at the three heads popping out, smiling.

“Morning sleepy heads.” you said and rearranged your shawl so that they could sit in more comfortably.

You picked up a bag of chocolate chips muffins and one of apple biscuits and put them in the cart already full with bags of apples, peaches and import cherries, pickles, sausages, tomatoes, cheese, eggs, milk, bread, some teddy bears and two large rolls of blue and white silk. Ok, snacks checked, food checked, toys checked, fabric checked. You turned around to go to another aisle, bugs comfortably hidden in the folds of your shawl. The cleaning supplies were the last stop for that day. There was no way you could carry everything home by yourself, even what you had was already too much. The rest had to wait for tomorrow.

As you were looking for the lavender scented clothes conditioner, you heard an “Ehen” somewhere from behind you. You didn’t pay too much attention to it, playing it as your imagination. Then it happened again, louder and more irritated. Well, it wasn’t in your head.

“Sorry.” you move out of the way, thinking that maybe the one behind you couldn’t get what they wanted because of you.

“Well, it was about time you paid attention to me.” a woman said, her tone extremely rude.

“Excuse me?” you looked at her, dumbfounded.

You’ve never seen that woman before, and her features were not easy to forget even with your memory. She had short, brown hair reeking of hair spray and eyes the color of mud behind those huge sunglasses that were hanging on the tip of her nose. You actually wondered how they weren’t falling down already. She was a bit round, but her style of clothing made her body shape actually suit her, if only she wasn’t wearing so many rings and necklaces. To each their own, anyway. She had a huge mole underneath her left eye. Her lips were so bright red that she must have used an entire tube a lipstick. Who was this woman?

“Shut up and do your job already! I need you to get me the bag of detergent powder from the top shelf. Now get to it.” she said, snapping her fingers at you after the last sentence.

“Sorry. I don’t work here lady.” you turned around, trying to keep your cool.

Four years of bullying led you to be a ticking bomb whenever someone acted all high and mighty with you. You nearly died once because of snobs like this woman already. No way will you ever let anyone walk over you again. You could put up with it if it happened at school, given that you wanted to graduate, but with a total stranger? Oh no, baby! Not a snowball’s chance in the greatest summer heat!

You spotted the bottle of clothes conditioner. You took it and were ready to put it in the cart when that woman began to scream at you.

“Don’t lie to me you little brat! I’m your elder! You have to listen to what I say!”

“Tell that to someone who gives a darn!” you yelled back.

The bugs were looking at you, worried and annoyed at the same time. Radiance was already staring daggers at that woman. No one spoke to her daughter like that!

“Ugh! Your generation is such a rude, entitled bunch of losers! No wonder this country is going down!” that woman continued to yell at you, attracting the attention of a few passersby. “You know nothing of respect!”

“Excuse me? We didn’t raise ourselves, b…” remember children are there! “witch! And how can we respect someone like you that turns a blind eye whenever someone is in need!” you recalled the times when your mother went to the principal, complaining about the bullying. That spineless idiot blamed it all on you. You were the odd one out, the one who didn’t fit in. And these guys had the gall to demand you respect them! HA! When pigs flied!

“How dare you talk back to me?! I’ll get you fired! Where’s your manager?” that woman’s face was red with anger, and you couldn’t help but imagine how nice your fist would look smashing that nose of hers. Again! Children were around!

“Good luck with that. I don’t work here!”

You turned around to leave when that woman grabbed your arm, yelling something. Wrong move! You were ready to punch her, Radiance casting her swords and aiming them at her hand, Ghost, Pure and Hornet also about to rush in, when it happened.

From behind that woman, you saw Henry, one of your former bullies, rush over and drop a whole bucket of sour cream right on her. She let go, screaming even louder than before, and you had to cover your mouth not to bust out laughing. The woman tried to lunge at him, but he was faster. He got out of her way and tripped her, making her round body fall on the floor with a loud buff. She didn’t get up, opting to stay there and cry like a toddler, waiting for someone to come so that she could play the victim card. However, no employee came to see what was going on, not even a manager. They weren’t paid enough to deal with this.

You continued to do your shopping, Henry by your side and the bugs although seemingly relaxed, were on their guard, ready to attack anyone that may have laid a hand on you again. After you paid for your stuff, you were ready to head home.

“Thanks for helping me. You stopped a murder there.” you told Henry, as soon as you got out of the department store. He may have been a jerk to you, but he still prevented you from going to jail.

“You’re welcome. How have you been?”

His question took you by surprise. Why did he care?

“None of your business.”

“Wow! I thought you were grateful to me for helping you avoid jail.” he said, raising his hands in the air, a stupid smirk on his face.

“And I thanked you, but that doesn’t change what you did to me. Hope to see you never again.” true, he was the mildest one and he would be friendly to you outside of bullying, but still. You turned around and left, not bothering to look back as he called out your name.

You were a good distance away, nearly home when you looked at the bugs in your shawl, Radiance still mad at that woman, and wondering about that boy, the other three more preoccupied with whether or not you were ok.

“Nobody must know about today, ok?” if any of the Pale Beings learned about what happened you were worried, they wouldn’t let the little ones out anymore.

The children nodded, and Radiance sighed, before agreeing.

“But you need to tell me about that boy, alright?” 

“If that’s your deal, ok.” you said, hoping that she won’t go on a witch chase after she learned what Henry had put you through. 


	12. Movie night

Choosing a movie was harder than you thought. Given that it was Pure’s free day and that woman at the store nearly ruined it, you wanted them to pick what you would watch even though they insisted that they didn’t have preference.

One thing you noticed about Pure was that they had a hard time expressing what they liked or any desire at all. You found it strange, given how the other children had no problem with letting other know how they felt or what they wanted. Pure was a lot more reserved. They were always giving up their turn on the cat bed if their siblings asked them to. At first, you thought it was because they didn’t like you and although it hurt, you wanted to respect their wishes. However, their actions made it clear that they cared about you, always looking for a chance to snuggle and welcoming all the petting. That only made you think that maybe they just were that devoted to their siblings. 

“Why are you down, my dear? Something bothering you?” Herrah asked you once, while you were doing your homework in the salon, and she was knitting a new cloak for Hornet.

“Oh! Nothing much. I… I was just thinking about Pure.” you said.

“Really? Did they fell asleep in a weird place again?”

“No. No. It’s just that… I’m amazed, you know. At how much they care about their siblings. I mean… I have two older sisters and we are not close at all with each other.” you thought of your last argument with your eldest sister, May. It always started from something stupid, silly, but neither of you wanted to be the first one to admit being in the wrong.

Herrah remained silent for a while. She knew that all Higher Beings wanted to leave the past behind and have you nothing to do with it. She didn’t think it was fair. You were part of their family after all. James accepted it. He understood the circumstances, the reasons behind the sacrifices. Maybe you would understand too. Still, she reminded herself that it was not a decision for her to make. To tell you the truth or not, only Pale King and Radiance could do that. 

“Don’t think about it too much. Sometimes siblings just don’t get along. That’s all.” the queen said and returned to her work. It wasn’t fair to keep you in the dark, but the truth was not hers to reveal. “Are you done with that homework to be thinking about something else? Last night you went to bed pretty late.”

“Oh! Shot!” you resumed your homework and dropped the subject much to Herrah’s relief.

Pure gave up and motioned you to pick up the movie, since they couldn’t decide either, after an entire hour of looking at posters and having you read the description. You browsed through the list on Netflix, thinking of what would be most appropriate to watch. You thought of Tom and Jerry, but maybe White Lady wouldn’t find it exactly appropriate given how much violence was between those two. The movie, the old one, was still great, but it was always better to talk it with their mother beforehand. In the end you settled for The Water Horse, a movie about the monster of Loch ness that melted your heart the first time you saw it.

“Did you finally pick a movie? I don’t think I can keep them away from the snacks any longer.” Isma came to ask you.

“Yes. Hope you guys will like it.” you looked to see if everyone was seated on the bed.

Some children managed to steal some cherries and were already eating them, some were hugging the small plush bears you bought. The great knights joined your party too, as the royal family was busy with something else and offered them a free day. You pressed the play button and moved your seat closer to them, so that everyone could have a good view. You were hoping not to cry during the emotional scenes and there were a lot. Well, you failed but at least you weren’t alone. Everyone could hear Ogrim and Hegemol’s soft whimpers when the boy, Angus, had to part with the poor creature as he couldn’t hide it anymore. The children were a bit scared for its life at the scene with the cannons, violently falling into the lake and they jumped with joy when the two reconnected, swimming in the beautiful depts of the waters. The scene, when Angus was saved after nearly drowning, made tears flow down your face, but you tried not to let it go anywhere past that. Nobody wanted to see your ugly crying anyway. When the movie was over, everyone either cried or jumped in joy.

“That was really beautiful, (Y/N). Didn’t know movies could be this interesting. The friendship between the two was truly moving.” Ogrim said, wiping a tear from his eye.

“We don’t really watch that many movies to begin with. We mostly listen to the radio in the salon.” Dryya added, before announcing bedtime.

“We can do it again, if you want. It could become a weekly thing. What do you say, everyone?” you barely finished your questions when countless hands lunged in the air. “Ok, it’s settled! Next Saturday, we’ll watch another one.” you announced and helped the knights take the children to their beds, except for the ones whose turn was to sleep in your room.

After that you went outside again, phone in hand and taking in deep breaths. It’s been two days since you two spoke. Only short phases, never too much. Do not get into details. It never ends well.

You dialed her number, waiting to hear her voice. She picked up, late. Always late. You nearly hung up.

“Hey, how are you?” she asked.

Time to repeat the same poem as last time.

“Fine. You?”

“Tired. How was today?”

“A bit crazy but fine,”

“Are you eating good? I mean healthy.”

It was the fourth time she was asking that. She forgot again. It’s happening more and more lately.

“Yes. Can’t really buy any fast food here.” you repeated the same answer as before.

“Good to hear. Your dad and I thought about making a visit. Do you remember Patrick? Your father’s younger brother? He’s getting married next weekend and he invited us to the wedding. We’ll be dropping by then.”

“Really? I thought you didn’t like him.”

Patrick. He was really funny and would often come to help out in the garden in exchange for some peaches and cherries. Your mother didn’t like him very much, though she was fine with him more than with the rest of the side of your father’s family. A side you didn’t really know that well. You saw them in passing at family gatherings that no one really wanted to go to, but the rest of the year was spent apart from each other. Come to think about it. You never saw James at any of those and you couldn’t recall anyone mentioning his name either.

“I don’t, but your dad wants to go so I can’t really say no.”

“I’m amazed you didn’t make May go with him.”

“May is in England to see her friend and Rea is busy with college. If you want to go…”

“No, thank you.” you replied immediately. You were not a big fan of weddings no matter who’s it was. “Does James know about it?” he probably didn’t.

“I think. You didn’t talk to him today?”

“He’s still at work.”

“Ok. I asked your father to tell him, but I’m sure he forgot. You make sure to tell him.”

“Ok. Have a good night.”

“Will do. You too.”

You hung up and ran inside just as James came in the door, his expression sour as a lemon. Great! He clearly had a bad day and now you had to give him more bad news.

“Oh, (Y/N)! What’s wrong?”

“My parents are coming to visit.”


	13. How they feel… and some extra cuteness at the end…I hope

She took one more look at the fresh swept counter, trying to find any bits of dust that she may have missed. Her sight wasn’t what it used to be. She could barely distinguish things that were close to her. She ordered a pair of glasses not long ago, before her youngest daughter left to live with her uncle, yet she always forgot to wear them just like she always forgot where the vacuum cleaner’s head brush was. She never seemed to find it.

Letting out a long sigh, she took the rag again and spayed the cleaning substance once more. She began to scrub, putting more strength than necessary, trying to get rid of the dirt that wasn’t there, not thinking of how empty the house felt now. Granted, she and (Y/N) barely talked, but at least she would know that she was there, locked in her room, drawing and listening to music or in the garden, weeding out the flowers. At least, she was close, and the two of them could talk whenever they wanted, even if the conversations didn’t end always nicely.

The sound of a lock being opened came from the front door and Sebastian stepped inside, hands holding grocery bags filled to the brim. He looked at his wife, Norah, and gave a faint smile. She still couldn’t get used to seeing him home so early.

“Hey! Care to help?” he asked, gesturing with his head to the bags in his hands.

“You can handle it. Why didn’t you call me to ask if we needed anything?” she replied annoyed, continuing to scrub the counter, even faster than before.

“Sorry. I forgot. Did you speak with (Y/N) today?” her husband spoke as he went and placed the groceries on the kitchen table.

“Yes. You could phone her too, you know.” Norah finished her task and headed to unpack the content of the bags. As usual, he bought too many fruits that will undoubtfully end up in the trash.

“It’s enough to know she’s fine. We’re going to see her anyway next weekend.” Sebastian said and took an apple from one of the bags, washing it under the sink’s running water.

What could he ask her about anyway? She was fine, school was ok. The same old answers that she always repeated like a broken record no matter the question. He heard about her bullying, but did nothing, too caught up in his own troubles. Even then… “Everything’s fine. Don’t worry.” … that was all she ever said. He wasn’t a man of feelings. He wanted logic and numbers. That was how he was raised, how he always did things in life. That was not to say that he did not regret it, the time lost seeing his daughters grow. Three daughters he had, yet he sometimes felt like he barely knew them. What sort of food they liked, what dreams they had, sometimes he could barely remember their birthdays. But at least they had something to eat, they had clothes, they could afford everything he never had as a child. That thought alone helped him bear the chasm that kept on growing and growing between him and his own children. It made him understand that his sacrifice had a meaning.

The King reached out a hand to pat one of the shades that came to look at the bright creatures that entered their lair. They looked at him and at the clear invitation to accept his kindness for a few moments, before they scurried away, back into the darkness of the small room, hidden by a door in the basement of James’ home. Sighing and with a bitter feeling in his chest, the Wyrm let his arm fall limp by his body. The rejection hurt more than he thought it ever would, dancing together with the guilt and fear on a song played by self-hatred. Lying didn’t help at all anymore. The cost was much greater than he ever realized, the love and life of his own children. And for what?

In the end, all it took him and Radiance to cease their war was a threat so great that neither of them would have been able to stop it and for Grimm to reach his breaking point and a huge man-child that needed supervision most of the time. Then… what did he sacrifice his own children for? Was all their pain for nothing?

He tried to make up for it, to show them the love their siblings received, but their distrust of him was too great. They wanted to forgive him, to start again, but the past didn’t want to let go of them, continuously scratching old would, preventing them from healing. But oh! They so wanted to forget it all!

The Pale King stepped closer to the pool of void that they managed to bring together with the children, and looked at the floating shades that tried their best not to pay attention to him, but one refused to succumb to sorrow any longer and they flew closer to their parent, so close, their tendrils could almost touch him.

With hope blooming in his chest, the Wyrm reached out his hand once more and this time the little one did not run away. Instead, they allowed him to touch their head, leaning into the warmth of his gesture. The King held back his tears and slowly wrapped his arms around the shade, pulling it into a gentle and shy embrace. The child didn’t resist, taken by surprise as they were. To be hugged… they never experienced it before and it… it was nice. They wrapped their tendril around him as well, wishing not to let him go.

The others saw them as well, the desire to be held, loved taking hold of each one of them. Shyly, they approached, but did not dare show the same boldness as their sibling, still too scared of being betrayed again. The Wyrm didn’t force them. One at a time, that was enough for him, more than he could ask for.

White Lady stood behind him, tears flowing down her eyes, at the sight of her husband holding their child. They didn’t fear her as much and would allow her to touch and hold them for a few minutes, but he was a different story. Even now, some were floating around her, playing through her branches or resting on them. They had no hard feelings towards her, she wasn’t the last presence they felt before their eggs were submerged under the void where they were defiled and destroyed, in an attempt to hollow them of all feelings and emotions. She was forgiven, he was feared.

He didn’t hold it against her, not at all! He loved her way too much to even think of such a thing! No, he blamed it all on himself, on his unchecked ambition and heartless decisions.

“My darling, we should go now. The little ones above need to go to bed. We’ve taken advantage of (Y/N)’s kindness enough for today.” she said, the shades returning to the pool of void, leaving her and her husband alone. All, except for the one still hugging Pale King.

“Just a little more.” he said, the begging tone of his voice almost tearing her heart apart.

“Come, my darling. We will come back tomorrow. I promise.” she gently separated the shade from her husband. The little one waved a small tendril at him and then returned to play with the others. The queen lifted her beloved in her arms, him being too tired to get back to the palace on his own. He was so cute when he curled in her embrace like a baby. 

Now time for the promised cuteness:

You were laying on the bed, tired after a day of cleaning the salon, dusting and scrubbing every piece of furniture she came across, together with the other bugs, who were willing to help. The children were by your side, quietly listening to the songs played on your phone and looking at the night’s sky. Grimm also made some magic tricks to entertain them and his own child. Radiance was staring at you, worried about your well-being.

“Are you alright, my dear?” she asked, placing a wing on your forehead, the soft feeling of her feather tickling your skin.

“Yeah. Just a bit tired.” you answered with half a smile, lazily blinking her way.

“Oh, my! (Y/N), look at this!” Grimm suddenly called out to you.

You looked at the window and your jaw nearly dropped.

From the cloudless sky, huge snowflakes flew through the air, dancing with each other like silver bees at a ball. You got off the bed and approached the window to see better, the nice show mesmerizing you. The children were glued to the window, Grimmchild pulling on their father’s hand with their tiny teeth, wishing to go outside and set the white balls on fire. He wasn’t the only one. After the shock of the surprise was over, the children ran up you and began to pull on your hand. They wanted outside and who were you to refuse.

“Ok! Just let me put something on and off we go!”

Everyone clapped in happiness, Radiance already looking for the thickest muffler you had.

Outside the air was colder than you expected. Bees carrying the children, trying to catch the snowflakes with their tiny hands, giggling at the nice design. Grimmchild was flying with them as well, spitting fire balls at everything he saw. Hornet, Ghost and Pure were relaxing in your muffler, together with Radiance, who looked at the falling snow, quietly. Grimm was in your coat’s pocket where it was warmer, the cold not being kind to him. He watched his son, pride swelling up in his chest. How he adored to be a father!

The other bugs were out as well, enjoying the early snow, wrapped in thick clothes to keep them warm, Brumm and Myla singing as usual, while Monomon and Quirrel were studying the gathering snow. Lurien and Herrah weren’t too fond of the cold weather, but they kept their complains to themselves. Pale King was resting in his lady’s arms, before Grimm thought he was missing the fun and teleported him in the same pocket where he was resting. The bugs tried not to laugh seeing that their ruler was too short to even reach the opening, the top of his crown being the only thing visible.

James was in the shed, looking for something to make tea with, a samovar he got from a friend in Russia. He finally found it, together with some withered twigs from a wood pile that he kept just in case. He brought it out and you stared at the tall urn, helping him put it in place and fill it with water. James broke the twigs in smaller pieces and stuck them in a special cylinder in the samovar, together with some dried leaves he took from under the trees.

“Grimm, can you set it on fire for me?”

“Sure. Just a second.”

Once the fire was on, he let the water slowly boil, adding fuel from time to time. Meanwhile, you taught the children how to make snowmen and snow angels, the white layer of frozen water growing more and more. Grimmchild was tired after all that running and was now nibbling at your nose, his little fangs unable to cause any damage, leaving only a tickling feeling behind that made you giggle.

James began to tell stories of his adventures, how he met creatures and made friends with other magic lovers, how he once rode a camel through the desert, but the animal refused to listen to him and would make sure to make his trip as uncomfortable as ever. You all laughed and demanded more, but he refused, saying that he still had some dignity to protect, at which one of the mantis lords replied:

“Oh, please! You lost that the moment we came to live with you.”

Everyone laughed, and James tried to act offended, but he failed to hold back the smile.

After the tea was done, everyone enjoyed it slowly, watching the snow continue to fall. All of you were taken by surprise when the morning sun rose, and the gentle, frozen rain stopped. When did the night go away so quickly?

“Oh no! (Y/N), you have school today!” Vespa cried out, looking at you worried.

You hadn’t closed an eye that night, and you didn’t know if you could make it through the classes when James spoke up.

“It’s ok. I’ll call the school and let them know you can’t go today.”

“Are you telling me I can skip?” you gave him a devilish smile.

“Just for today. Now go to sleep, everyone.” he said, and the bugs agreed with him, something that they surely did not do often.

That night had felt like a miracle, but then again, ever since you came here, everything was like a never ending sweet dream and you didn’t want to wake up. 


	14. Introducing Grandpa

“(Y/N), are you ok?” Anne asked you, patting your shoulder.

Mrs. Gibson yelled at you for half an hour for some stupid mistake that day. However, you didn’t care about it. You had better things to worry about. It was Friday already. Friday! Your parents were supposed to come over later in the afternoon so that they could attend the wedding tomorrow. You could give less than a rotten potato on math. The fact that your parents may find out about the bugs and force you back home, was what ate away at you. That whole week had been a whole mess.

James went full panic mode! He couldn’t let your parents sleep in the house and risk revealing the truth of his life. That couldn’t happen! Never! But to hide an entire room of bugs was easier said than done. Fortunately, James managed to convince them not to sleep over at his house and got them a room at the hotel in town. Understandably, they asked why, but he simply told them some lie about renovations and that only your and his bedroom were still available. It wouldn’t work, you just knew that. However, there was no other option. 

You and James made sure to put a white sheet like a door to the front of the stairs leading to the second floor so that your parents couldn’t see that it was all a lie. You also told all the bugs not to go to the first or ground floor, unless it was absolute urgent. The children didn’t agree with it and had no restrains showing it. To not be allowed to sleep in your room! They wouldn’t just stand for it! Fortunately, Pale King managed to work something with them and get the situation under control, promising to play with them as much as he could. At his offer, they agreed, but that didn’t help you very much. The scent of disaster was just too strong in the air. 

“I’m fine.” you answered with a faint voice, as you placed your head on the desk, eyes closed.

“Are you sure?” she asked, her eyes filled with worry. They resembled Radiance’s so much.

You lifted your head back up and gave her a warm smile.

“Yes. I am just tired. By the way,” you added looking around the classroom, “why does everyone read so much for Chemistry?”

“Mrm…Because we have a test?” Anne motioned to the note you made on one of those notebooks you used to write important stuff or draw during break.

Your eyes went wide open as you read the small words that said “Friday- Chemistry test! Don’t forget!”

“Shoot! I completely forgot!” you yelled and began to frantically look over the notes and formulas, trying to memorize everything you could.

You just couldn’t sit still. The ticking of the old clock in the hall felt like a hammer hitting your head continuously. 5: 45 p.m. Your parents said that they will arrive at 6 o’clock. There were only 15 more minutes left until then. James was gone to work, and he said that he may not be there to welcome them, leaving that task completely on your shoulders.

The bugs were upstairs, being as quiet as possible, except for the bees that were working in the backyard, and some of the weavers and deephunters who were hunting in the attic. Herrah and Vespa promised to be careful and not let your parents see them, not that the bees would have been a problem. Well, maybe they would. It wasn’t everyday to see huge, fluffy insects, the size of one’s fist sitting quietly on one’s shoulder, as the guardians have begun to do for a while now, whenever you were out, playing with the children in the garden.

The waiting was unbearable as the minutes were passing by, each second feeling like an eternity. You went to the front yard, the walls and closed air inside the house, nearly suffocating you. Once outside, you inhaled deeply the afternoon air, the coldness from the unexpected snow from last Monday still lingering in the air. You felt so bad when it melted away, leaving only puddles of water and mire in its passing. However, winter was just around the corner. Soon, the entire town would be covered in white and you were eager to see it. 

The sound of a car pulled you out of your daydream and you turned your head in time to see your father’s old car pull into the drive way, your parents’ stern faces seen through the windshield. Even today, they had to fight. At least they had the decency to end it before arriving at the house. With a raging scream, the car died, and your mother came out, a smile blooming on her face as she saw you.

“Hey, darling! How are you?” she came and gave you a large hug that nearly knocked the air out of you.

“Huh! I’m fine, mom. How was the road?” you asked, releasing yourself from her embrace.

“Hey, dear! How you’ve been?” you father came along carrying a bunch of large luggage, so full, they couldn’t be closed properly.

Your eyes caught the sight of a sleeping bag peeking out from one of them.

“Ok…what’s in those?” you asked, cold chills running down your spine.

“Oh! Your mother didn’t want to stay in a hotel room so we will be sleeping in the salon.” your father responded, a note of embarrassment in his tone.

Your jaw dropped. Things were already going bad!

“N-No! There’s so much dust and the work is not done!” your mind couldn’t think of enough excuses and lies to stop them.

“It’s ok. I’ll clean up so there will be no problem. Now let’s go in. It’s pretty cold out here.” your mother waved you off and headed towards the main entrance, her eyes looking at the flowers around.

“Let me!” you ran to the door and opened it, sweat beginning to drip down your face. You couldn’t do this alone! James had to be there!

“I see. So you decided to stay here.” he said, and you could feel the tension in his attitude.

Luckily, he got home quickly after receiving your call and now was trying to make sense of the situation. If there was something he hated, it was people inviting themselves in his home. Although he should have expected it. His brother and his wife didn’t seem like the type of people who cared too much about what others told them.

“Yes. I brought cleaning supplies to tidy up the place and I noticed the white sheet on the second…”

“You are not allowed there.” James said, cutting your mother off in the middle of her sentence.

“Hm! Ok.” your mother answered, but you knew she wouldn’t let it go so easily. She will try again.

“James. Please watch your tone with my wife.”

“You are free to go wherever you want in this house, but the second floor is off limits. Unfortunately, the only guest room in this house already belongs to (Y/N) and…” James continued, ignoring his older brother.

“That’s ok. I can sleep with her and Sebastian can sleep here, on the couch. It’s comfortable enough and now that I see it, I realize we shouldn’t have packed the sleeping bags.”

You felt a wave of relief washing over you, knowing that you already told the little ones that they weren’t allowed in your room for the weekend, though you weren’t fond of sharing the bed with your mother. After sleeping with your sister, May, in the same bed for 5 years, and being her sand bag, you hated the idea of sharing a bed. Still, you didn’t protest or say a word. The sooner this conversation was over, the better.

“Ok.” James said and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Want to go out and eat? I know a good restaurant in town.”

“Sounds good. Let’s go.” your mother got up, grabbed her purse and headed to the door followed closely by your father.

You and James stayed behind, giving each other worried looks, no words needed to communicate the thought on each other’s mind. This will not end good.

The hot water pouring on you felt so good, its warmth helping your muscles relax and release all the build up stress. The day has been going well so far. You went to the restaurant with your parents and uncle, then visited the museum and walked around for a while, until the night settled in. When you returned, the bees were long gone back to the hive on the second floor and the spiders were also in their homes, feeding on the game they caught during the day. The others must have sneaked in the kitchen for you noticed some peaches and apples were missing and the strawberries were completely gone. Thank God they did that while you were gone.

Your parents suspected nothing so far, although your mother commented on how clean the house was despite work being done.

“Well, we cleaned up, of course. Knowing you, we just couldn’t let dust and dirt all around, unless we wanted you to go on a cleaning spree.” you tried to joke, but she didn’t find it as funny.

“Hm! You could have done a better job. The corner behind the couch needs to be vacuumed and I doubt you dusted each pillow. Why does James need so many pillows anyway?” she said, and you felt a headache taking over.

You were expecting this. Your mother has always been obsessed with cleaning but lately it has gotten much worse. Rea said it was her way to cope with being lonely and other traumas she suffered from. She never wanted to be a mother, hating the idea with a burning passion. She just knew that she wasn’t cut for it. However, your father had other plans and thus you and your sisters were born. How that happened was beyond you, but nonetheless, there you were, three little girls that Norah had to take care of at the best of her ability. She tried, none can deny that, but the task often proved to be way to much for her. The accident let her know just how much of a horrible mother she was.

She still couldn’t forget it, the sight of the you, holding your bleeding stomach and crying, while Henry Mitchell was carrying you and screaming for help. If only she didn’t force you to go and hang out with those brats, but she trusted their intentions. They said they wanted to apologize for all the things they put you through and try to be your friends. That was all Norah wanted, for you to not be alone anymore. What a fool she had been.

“Ready for bed?” your voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

“Yes…are those your pajamas?”

“Yeah…erm… a friend of uncle gave them to me. A welcome gift.” you stuttered, not knowing how to explain to her how all of your clothes were now bearing weird, awesome patterns. Better lie again.

“And they gave you pajamas?” your mother asked, with a note of irritation in her voice.

“Well, the nights are sometimes cold, and my old pair was ripped…”

“You never told me that.” her tone was increasingly more annoyed.

“Why should I have? It was just a pair of pajamas.” you decided to play just as angry as her. Whenever things were getting heated, she always gave up.

“Whatever.”

Success.

“Let’s go to sleep. Goodnight.” she said as she crawled under the covers and turned her back at you.

“Yeah. Goodnight.” you replied and turned off the light, praying that the children wouldn’t get any funny ideas of coming to sleep with you.

You opened your eyes, the sound of giggles and heat waking you up. You were in your room, yet not quite. The bed was nowhere to be seen, instead you were sitting on a fancy couch, wearing a long, red and black dress made out of silk and cotton, with floral patters and shapes that resembled a circle with horns, sewed at the margins. You stared at it and then at the room you were in. Although it resembled yours, the chandelier was gone, replaced by long black lanterns with scarlet flames burning bright, spreading a red light around. On the floor, there were vines made out of some weird blue and crimson fabric merging with the parquet. There was an eerie feeling in the air and what you could tell was the sound of a heart beating.

You looked at where the door should have been only to see that it was missing, scarlet smoke filling the hallway.

“Hello?” you called out, not sure what to expect.

The silence terrified you. You couldn’t stay there anymore. You got up from the couch and headed outside.

The stairway leading to the ground floor was blocked, giving you no option but to go upstairs. Swallowing a node in your throat, you slowly climbed towards the second floor, the heart beating becoming louder as you approached it, accompanied now by a song that you knew to well. It was Brumm’s accordion. Was this Grimm or Radiance’s doing? So far, leaving aside the time when you first came here, they didn’t enter your dreams. However, this didn’t feel like Radiance’s work, at all. Her light was peaceful and livelier like the sun, and Pale King’s power was pale and cold, like a soft winter sky. Leaving only Grimm. Oh! You were so going to give him a piece of your mind!

You went to where the bug’s room should have been and deeply inhaled. A faint giggle caught your attention, followed by muffled voices speaking angrily. You knocked, when suddenly the door slammed against the wall, barely missing your face, and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around you, pulling you in a tight and warm embrace.

“My granddaughter has finally come! I’ve waited so much for you, my darling!” the figure hugging you said, his hoarse voice resembling Grimm’s in a way.

“Ugh! I-I can-can’t breathe!” you said, and the figure let go of you.

You exhaled and inhaled deeply and quickly, fighting to catch the air, eyes looked on the one in front of you. He was tall, looking so much like Grimm save for the longer, scarlet horns, and his bright red colored cape. He had a huge smile on his face and was ready to speak again when the Troupe Master’s voice came from behind him.

“I told you to leave her alone! What was in your head to scare her like that?!” he said and pushed the other one aside, before turning his attention to you.

“Oh, my dear! (Y/N), are you ok? I’m so, very sorry. I tried to stop him, but…” he said only to be interrupted by his taller, red version.

“Oh! Would you knock it off?! What did you expect me to do? Because of my sister, I didn’t get to see her at all! And you haven’t been any help either. Some ungrateful son you are. Not even bothering to present your new daughter to your poor, lonely father.”

“So you decided to just drag her here?!”

You watched dumbfounded, as the two bugs began to argue, not knowing what to do. The red one called Grimm his son and you his granddaughter. Was he the Troupe Master’s father? But then, who was his sister? Radiance? How? What?

Your mind was beginning to hurt, thoughts tangling with each other, as the mental gymnastics were beginning to take their toll on you. You were about to interfere and demand some answers, when you felt a tug on your dress. You looked down to see none other than Ghost pulling at your clothes, trying to get your attention, Grimmchild perched in between their antlers.

“Babies! What are you doing here?” you said and bend down to hug them, now capable of doing so, as the little ones were much bigger, the size of normal children.

“Oh! I brought them here! Though I only planned to have Grimmchild and Grimm accompany us for this family reunion, you’re very welcome.” the red one said, mockingly bowing his head towards the Troupe Master who was one step away from losing it. “However, the child insisted to have this little one here as well, and I just couldn’t say no.” 

Ghost looked at you and nodded, Grimmchild letting a soft mew as well.

“Mrm... Ok. Thank you…I…” you struggled to find your words, trying your best not to be rude. “Forgive me for asking this, but… who are you?”

The red one stared at you for a while before breaking out in a loud laugher.

“Oh, my darling! No offense taken. I’m fully aware that nobody has informed you of me.” he said, giving Grimm an annoyed look, the later scoffing in return. “Allow me to introduce myself.” he bowed to you, a hand reaching out and taking yours. “I am Nightmare King Grimm, the origin of the Grimm Troupe and the First Father, younger brother of the dream known as Radiance. A pleasure to meet you, (Y/N)!” he said and placed a gentle kiss on your knuckles.

“A-A pleasure to meet you too.” you said and gave him a messy bow. You seriously had to learn how to act around royalty.

“So well behaved. Better than a certain someone.” Nightmare King said, throwing a glance towards his son, a smirk blooming on his face at the sight of Grimm’s annoyed look. “Anyway, let’s head inside. The night is still so young and I’m eager to have a chat with you, my dear granddaughter, and what better way to spend our time together than with some tea and snacks?”

Nightmare King led you inside the room, followed by Grimm who was trying not to cuss under his breath. The chamber had been changed to a garden, resembling the one in the backyard, save for the sky drenched in purple, the flowers and trees now colored in tones of red and black. In the center, hanging high above the ground, was a heart like thing, beating calmly, the veins you’ve seen spread around the place, connecting to it. The King led you to a table set under a wooden gazebo, lanterns floating around them. You were amazed at your surroundings. Was he always like this? Why didn’t anyone tell you about him then?

“Please, my dear.” The King helped you sit down, right between him and Grimm.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Just Grimm is fine.”

“Yeah, but then…” you said and motioned to the Troupe Master, beside you.

“Call him Stupid. It’s what he deserves.”

“Excuse me?!” the black bug interfered.

“Consider it your punishment for keeping me away from my granddaughter.” the Nightmare King said and waved him off.

“I’ll make sure Radiance hears about it.”

“Be my guest. I want to have a word with her as well, so you’ll be doing me a favor. Now, leaving that aside. My darling,” he said, turning his attention to you and pouring you a cup of tea, “how was your day?”

“O…Ok.”


	15. To mend that which is broken

The morning came far too quickly for you. The Nightmare King was a really cool guy to be around. You couldn’t understand why the others refused to tell you about him or why Grimm himself wanted to keep the two of you apart. During the conversation, he was silent as a statue, not even Grimmchild able to pull him out of his stubbornness. You had to ask him to teach you one day how to do that.

Ghost was happy with just sitting in your lap and listening to your talk, munching on some chocolate cookies from time to time, passing some to the child perched between their antlers. The Nightmare King went far and beyond to accommodate you and make your visit as enjoyable as possible, preparing your favorite tea and sweets, delighting you with stories of the nightmares he had visited. They were eerie at first, but the way he was telling them, it was just so captivating and besides, who doesn’t enjoy a good scare from time to time? He told you about bugs running scared through empty tunnels, hearing creeping noises and steps following them, always right behind yet never making a grab for them.

“And when they trip and fall! The look of horror on their face is just the best!” he said, before exploding in laughter.

Meanwhile Grimm was shooting him menacing stares, his body all tensed up, but when he saw that you weren’t scared of him, he allowed himself to relax. To have you be afraid of him… it was his own personal nightmare. James might have accepted him, but he could see the fear in his eyes during the first days, once he learned what Grimm really was. Too scared to tell him no, always on the edge when he was around. It was… his fate, to be hated and bring fright to all that crossed his path. It wasn’t a destiny many would enjoy and neither did he, but he made his peace with it. He had no other choice and because of that, he clung to those who didn’t know about him with all his strength, trying to keep them in the dark about his true nature. You were one such being.

Pure and innocent, he despised letting you know the secret he so desperately wanted to hide. Would you hate him? Would you look at him as if he was a monster? Those questions ate him on the inside. He couldn’t stand it, wouldn’t bear it. You were like his child. What parent would want their child to hate them? However, seeing you now, laughing as the Nightmare King was telling you those horror stories… was… could you accept him for what he truly was? He didn’t have the courage to test it yet, not now. Let this moment last a little longer.

When you felt yourself being pulled back to the waking world, you truly felt sorry and wanted to refuse the calling, but the Nightmare King didn’t agree with your wish.

“It’s ok, my dear. We can talk tomorrow night as well.” he said and kissed your forehead.

He carried you princes’ style to your room and placed you on the couch, caressing your cheek as you slowly closed your eyes. If his voice wasn’t so hoarse, you may have asked him to sing you a lullaby, but maybe another time. You took advantage of his kindness enough for that day.

When you opened your eyes, your mother was hovering over you, her face filled with worry, her cold hand pressing against your forehead.

“Are you ok?” she asked. “You’re burning.”

“Really? I feel perfectly fine.” you said and removed her hand, stretching your feet and body in the meantime. “Though I guess it wouldn’t hurt to open the balcony door for a minute. It feels kind of hot in here.”

“Are you sure you’re fine?” she asked again.

“Yeah. Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

“No. Go ahead. I’m going to wake your dad and send him out to get some snacks. Do you want anything?”

“Something salty. That’s all.” you replied as if you haven’t eaten sweets the entire night. You won’t gain weight from those, will you? Because, oh boy! were you in trouble if you did.

“Ok.” your mother said and left the room.

After a quick shower and half an hour spend choosing your clothes, you went downstairs to join your family. You met James at the staircase and after a short greeting, you were both ready to head to the kitchen, when you heard a loud thud coming from the second floor.

“What was that?” your mother came out to ask.

“N-Nothing. Something must have fallen. I’ll go check.” James said and rushed upstairs.

“Ok. (Y/N), come here and have some tea.” she said, and you went to the kitchen.

Inside you found your father reading the news on his phone and bags filled with sweets and fruits that your mother was struggling to find room in the fridge.

“You have a lot of fruits here. I’m really glad.” she said, placing a bad of cherries in the cold box.

“Y-Yeah. We eat a lot of those. Put the oranges in the box and let the cherries out. And the grapes.” you said, knowing that those were the bug’s favorite ones. Now that you were thinking about it, you could take some fruits to them while your parents were gone to the wedding.

“You also have fresh honey. That’s impressive. Where did James get it from?”

“A friend.”

“I noticed there are a lot of bees in the garden. Some are huge.” your father said, and you felt your face go white.

So much for Vespa’s attempt at hiding them.

“T-They are no harm. You don’t have to worry about them.”

“Ok. Just be careful. You know May is allergic to them. Maybe you are too.” he added; eyes glued to the news.

“Yeah. They are really docile. You just need to leave them alone.”

“What if you want to go to the garden?” you mother asked.

“They are not dangerous. Look! Just leave them alone and don’t bother them. Easy. Now let’s eat. Where’s the tea?”

“Behind you.” your mother motioned to a cup of tea on the counter behind you.

“Thanks.” you took it and began to sip the golden liquid, thankful that the conversation was over for now.

After a few minutes, James came down as well, giving some excuse about how a widow was opened and the air current pushed an empty pot of a shelf. Your parents didn’t question his further and you all ate in peace. The wedding was at 12 o’clock. You had to hold on until then.

You let out a heavy sigh as both you and James crashed on the couch the moment your parents left, and you heard the engine of that old car fade into the distance.

“Are they always like that?” your uncle asked, exhausted.

“More or less.” you answered.

At 11:30, your mother began yelling because your father wasn’t ready yet, and she still had to iron his shirt. Then, she yelled about not having enough time to dress up. She was done in 5 minutes. Always the same arguments, always the same stupid reasons. You had to wonder how come they hadn’t gotten bored of it. While they were busy arguing, you and James were doing your best to stay out of their way. The backyard was the safest place at that moment, so you two made your way there, sitting on the stairs and watching the bees work, guardians coming to demand pats.

“What happened upstairs?” you asked while playing with the fluffy creature.

“Radiance seems to be angry about something, and she was throwing a fit.” James replied and looked around the garden, probably searching for Vespa.

“I…I think I know why she’s angry.” you whispered mostly, recalling the words of the Nightmare King.

You wanted to tell James about what happened during the night, when your mother called you back inside to announce her and your father’s leave. Thankfully, they stopped arguing.

Now that you two were alone, you felt like you could demand some answers. At least, until you went to see the bugs.

“Hey, uncle, can I ask you something?” you said, thinking about how to formulate your question.

“Sure. What is it?” he said staring at the ceiling above.

“Why did no one tell me about the Nightmare King?”

You barely finished the question when James straightened up and looked at you with eyes wide open. He clearly didn’t expect this and neither did you think he’d react like that.

“W-What?” you asked, taken by surprise.

“H-How do you know about him?” James face was pale like a blank sheet of paper.

“I met him last night. He pulled me into…” you didn’t get to finish when your uncle got off the couch and ran upstairs.

Confused, you followed him, a feeling of dread taking over you. When you reached the second floor, angry screams could be heard from the bug’s room. You could distinguish Radiance’s angry voice, and Grimm’s irritated tone, the others either taking sides or trying to alleviate the conflict. You got in just in time to hear Radiance yell at the Troupe Master.

“How could you let something like that happen?! You are his vessel! You should have come straight to me when you saw what he was doing!” the Moth yelled.

“I couldn’t help it! You know very well that once he sets his mind on something, he goes with it, regardless of what others say!” Grimm’s response came.

“Ok! Ok! Let’s calm down, everyone. We’re not going anywhere with this…” the White Lady tried to interfere when she was cut of be Radiance.

“Calm down? Calm down?! My precious daughter was in the company of that… that good for nothing creep! Who knows what he taught her? Argh!”

The Moth’s words nearly made you burst out laughing. She sounded like an overprotective mother that was freaking out because her child made friends with the outcast of the neighborhood. You wanted to interfere when you suddenly felt your head getting heavier and your vision blur. The next thing you knew, your body was on the floor and the bugs were screaming all around as everything faded to black.

“Wakey, wakey, my darling!”

You opened your eyes to find yourself in the same garden you were last night, Grimmkin floating all around, giggling and screaming with excitement. Nightmare King was holding you in his arms, as he was sitting in a rocking chair, caressing your hair. You looked up at him, and he offered you a warm smile.

“H-Hi.” you said, stuttering a bit.

“Hello, my darling. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, but… what is going on?”

“Oh! Nothing you have to worry about.” he said, getting up and sitting you down on the chair.

Before you managed to get another word out, a strong, crashing sound came from somewhere inside the garden, and you heard Radiance yelling her lungs out for the Nightmare King, while Pale King, Herrah and Vespa were coming from behind, trying to calm her down. When she saw him near you, she stopped for a second before she began to scream even louder than before. You had to wonder how come she still had a voice after the first round.

“GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER THIS VERY INSTANT!!”

She marched towards him, her stare making it clear that she was ready to kill. However, before she got the chance to get too close, scarlet tendrils appeared in the air and wrapped themselves around her, restraining her and making her unable to move. The Moth shoot deadly glares at him, but he only giggled and waved her off.

“Oh my dear sister! Is this how one is supposed to act when she visits the brother she hadn’t seen in so long? I must say your lack of manners is astonishing. What kind of example do you think you’re setting for our dear (Y/N)?” he said, stroking your hair. It was obvious that he was enjoying the situation.

“YOU! YOU!!!” Radiance was struggling to find her words, fury clouding her judgement.

“This is enough, Nightmare King! I ask you to release Radiance at once.” Pale King interfered, trying his best to calm down the spirits, well mostly the Moth.

“I shall do so, if I have the reassurance that she won’t attack me once I do and given her reaction, I highly doubt that this will be the case.” The Scarlet One answered the king’s request, taking a sit by your side and placing a hand around your shoulders. He was just trying to piss her off even more, delighting himself in her reaction.

Radiance started another tirade towards her brother, while the others were trying to calm her down, but soon, they began screaming as well. It was an endless stream of anger and hatred, one that you were well acquainted with, the pain rushing back to you from memories you so hard tried to forget. No! No more! Shut up! Stop it! No!

“EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!” you found yourself screaming, hands covering your ears, and hot tears flowing down your face.

They all became silent, eyes staring at you in shock and guilt. You were trembling too much from all the emotions to care though. You tried to get up and go away, but your feet refused to listen. You fell on the ground, crying and unable to control yourself. Everyone rushed to your side, but there was little they could do. The harm has already been done.

“My darling, I’m so sorry.” Radiance said as she pulled you in her arms, crying as well.

She was doing it again, hurting the ones she loved so much. Why couldn’t she ever keep them close? She betrayed her brother, nearly killed all the bugs she once swore to protect and her beloved moth tribe, and now she made you cry. Her worst nightmare came to life.

Pale King, Herrah and Vespa exchanged looks with each other, and then looked at the Nightmare King, who was silently watching his sister’s tears. The pain of what she had done to him never faded, no matter how much time had passed. He wanted to return it, to make her feel the same burden he had to carry each passing day, the one of never being able to let go of the past. Yet… now that he was seeing her suffer… he was disgusted with himself… Oh! So he still loved her after all this time.

He headed towards you and Radiance, Herrah trying to stop him, but Pale King didn’t allow it. The Wyrm knew what the Scarlet One wanted to do. They had no right to interfere.

“I’m sorry sister, (Y/N). I… I took things too far.” he said, kneeling down next to you and Radiance and hugging you both as much as he could.

You calmed down a little at this point and were able to talk again.

“Please…” sniff, sniff “…stop arguing…” sniff, sniff “please.”

“Of course!” they said at the same time, Radiance stroking your hair, while Nightmare King was wiping your tears.

There was silence for a while in the realm, save for Grimmkin appearing and setting a table for all of you to eat something. Nobody said a word, too overwhelmed by the situation and your breakdown. When Nightmare King invited you all to tea, Radiance helped you sit down, afraid that your legs might give in again.

“I…I’m sorry, brother.” she said before taking a seat herself.

“For what?” the Scarlet Monarch asked, taken aback.

“For everything. I shouldn’t have made Grimm keep (Y/N) away from you. S-Sorry.”

“Oh! Don’t worry about it, my dear. Let it all be water under the bridge. Ok?” he said, trying to keep his voice calm, but the feeling taking over was hard to hide.

It was as if a heavy burden was taken off his chest, like breathing fresh air after being locked up for a long time. His sister’s apology… it helped him get closure, assuring him that their bond was not that fragile after all. Back when she plunged her sword into his chest, barely missing his heart, something broke inside of him. He loved his sister deeply, he truly did. She was everything he had. Others hated him, many feared him. She was the only one who didn’t care about his nature and treated him with kindness. When that bond was broken, he couldn’t bear it, Was he really that meaningless to her? No! He wouldn’t accept it, but the betrayal made it hard for him to face her. He wanted to ask her, “What did I ever mean to you?”, but the answer scared him beyond words. What if she said he was worth nothing in her eyes? What if she tried to kill him again? For years these questions tormented him, but now… she apologized, she cared. They were still family, no matter what. And this time, he will cling to it, and not let anyone take it away from him.

When he sat down, next to you, he pressed a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“Thank you, (Y/N). I own you so much.” he said, his words soft, almost a whisper.

Thanks to you, his sister and him made peace after such a long time. You were growing more and more dear to him, an important part of his family. Woe to whoever dared to make you sad ever again for they will taste the full fury of the one known as the Nightmare King. 


	16. Disaster dinner

Well, the siblings may have promised each other to not get into fights, but that was easier said than done. Pale King was facepalming himself as the discussion regarding with whom you will spend more time during the night unfolded. Radiance wanted all the weekdays while her brother was left with only weekends. Nope! He didn’t agree at all, not in a thousand years. They tried to get it all solved, peacefully, so that you wouldn’t start crying again, but in vain. Neither could hide the tension and anger brewing inside. Vespa was running out of patience and Herrah was already ready to murder someone. You decided to interfere, hoping that the spirits would calm down a bit that way.

“How about Radiance takes Saturdays and Nightmare King Sundays?” you proposed.

“What about Fridays?” the Moth asked, playing with her cup of tea absent minded.

“Pale King and the children have those.” you said, looking in the Wyrm’s direction who sighed.

Truth be told, he would have liked to spend some time in the dreams with you as well. 

“A-Alright.” everyone said, and the discussion was over thankfully before it got worse.

“Ok. I guess I should go back. James must be worried by now and my parents might get back any minute now. It was great spending time with you, Grimm.” you said and hugged the Nightmare King who returned it, with a smile a kiss on the forehead.

“Take care of yourself, my darling.” he said and snapped his fingers.

You woke up on the couch in the salon, the children fussing all around you and James discussing with White Lady. He was clearly worried about you and you couldn’t help but feel bad about it. You tried to call out to them, but your throat was so sore, no sound was willing to come out. Fortunately, the little ones noticed you now and Pure hurried to their mother to announce her of your awakening. The two adults came to your side, your uncle looking so relieved, seeing you.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” he asked, helping you get up.

You motioned to your throat and then tried to gesture drinking water, but mimicry was never your strong point. However, despite your clumsy motion, White Lady understood what you meant and asked James to go and bring you a cup of water which he quickly obliged, nearly hitting his leg on the table as he rushed to the kitchen and knocking down some plants. If your throat hadn’t been so dry, you would have laughed or at least giggled.

“Thank you.” you said handing James the empty cup.

“Better?” he asked, and his voice seemed so tired.

“Yes. Much better. Where are the others?” you looked around, expecting to see Radiance come out and sit on your shoulder, but she didn’t.

Now that you thought about it, you didn’t see the others who were with you in the dream either.

“Where are Radiance and the others?” you asked.

“Upstairs. They used Grimm’s nightmare to come get you. We wanted to get only you here, but the children didn’t agree as you can see.” James said and motioned to the little ones who were playing around now that you were awake, Pure doing their best to keep them away from you.

Truth be told, their energy was overwhelming, and you didn’t know if you could deal with it.

“What happened in there? You began to cry at some point. Is everything ok?” White Lady asked worried.

You touched your cheek and found it cold and wet, traces left by tears still fresh. You began to explain everything that went on with Nightmare King and Radiance, about the argument between them and arrangement made with the weekend. White Lady seemed pleased and so did the children. Now they had more time to play with you. Yay! James sighed in relief, hearing that in the end everything worked out fine.

You helped the others take the children back to their room seeing as it was nearly midnight, Wow! you slept a lot, and your parents could be back any minute. You didn’t want them to find you surrounded by small, little bugs. Even if they were adorable. You spend some more time on the second floor as Grimm kept on apologizing over and over. You began to get the feeling that that was all he did lately.

“Oh! You will be sorry, alright? Let me have a word with you!” Herrah screamed and pulled the Troupe Master after her in one of the houses nearby, kicking out the residents, too scared to oppose the Spider Queen.

Everyone was silent as you listened to Grimm getting minced to pieces by her words. When he came out, it took all of his power not to crumble to the floor. He gave everyone a faint smile as he headed into his tent, face red from embarrassment. You couldn’t help but pity him. He had so much on his plate to deal with. At least, things had to get better in the future to make up for the bitterness of these last days.

You headed to the salon just in time to hear your parents’ car’s engine pull into the front yard. You and James quickly ran to the couch and turned on the TV, making it seem like nothing was out of the ordinary. Thankfully, your parents got inside, screaming at each other as usual about some joke your father said at the wedding and didn’t even bother to pay attention to you two. Fine by you.

The rest of the evening went on smoothly, you and your mother going straight to bed once she was done changing and your father watching some TV with James in the salon.

“So, how was the wedding?” James asked.

“Ok… the bride kicked up a fuss at some point over something. Don’t know exactly what, but after that it was alright.” Sebastian said, changing the channel again and again.

“How is Patrick?”

“Ok. He’s doing quite a lot of money.”

Money. All his family cared about was money. He could understand it. They grew up as poor after all, but it still made him somewhat irritated when one’s salary was brought up. Due to his true occupation, he couldn’t really disclose anything about his earnings without lifting eyebrows.

“Was anyone else there?” James asked, trying to speak of anything else but money.

“The usual. Our parents, brothers and sisters and their children. Patrick didn’t invite many people. On the other hand, Camelia invited an entire town judging from how many people were there. We could barely fit in the church.”

“Camelia? Is that the bride’s name?”

“Yeah. By the way, I invited Patrick over tomorrow to go to that restaurant from yesterday. I told him you and (Y/N) will be there too.”

“Really? What did he say?” James was amazed. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in his family in well over 17 years. He couldn’t even recall their faces most of the time.

“He was impressed that you were in town and said he would love to see you.” Sebastian responded, oblivious to his brother’s excitement.

The two men talked a bit more before they bid each other farewell and headed to bed. They really needed rest for the following day.

“Ok. Wear this one.” your mother said, handing you a T-shirt and pair of pants she found somewhat fancy.

“Fine.” you said, grabbing the clothes and waiting for her to get out so you could change.

If there was anything you hated, it was to put on a fashion show before going somewhere. That was the last day your mother and father would be there, so you decided not to argue, but something didn’t feel right. You had a bad sentiment during the entire weekend but that day, it was much stronger. Did you have a test on Monday you forgot about again? Maybe. Better not let your mother find out, least you wanted her to freak out on you.

The ride to the restaurant was short, your mother making some snarky remarks about your father’s driving, trying to get everyone to agree with her. She hoped he would change his crazy driving methods if enough people criticized him for it. Fat chance. At least, they were done by the time they reached the destination.

James didn’t care about any of that. He was too nervous thinking about finally seeing his brother after so long. Strange. He didn’t feel like that at all back when he went to your parents to ask them to let you live with him.

“Do you think they arrived yet?” your mother asked as you got out of the car.

“Only one way to find out, no?” you replied and went to the door, followed by your uncle.

You entered in the fancy place and looked around, searching for Patrick’s face. You noticed him in the far most corner of the restaurant, waving at you, only to be scolded by a woman sitting next to him. You froze the moment you recognized her. She was the same crazy lady from the department store last week. Someone had to be kidding you. In the blink of an eye, you turned around and exited the restaurant, ignoring your mother calling out to you. Once outside, you began to look around for any signs that this might be a dream, a cruel prank by either Radiance or Nightmare King but the possibility was very unlikely. There were no red or yellow dreamcatchers in the air, no clouds or veins of fabric around.

“Everything ok? What’s wrong with you?” your mother’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts.

Shot! This was all real. You weren’t sleeping.

“Nothing. I-I thought I forgot something in the car.” you said and headed back into the restaurant, praying for your mother not to pester you with questions.

Your blood was boiling with fear and rage, should she try and get more answers you would have definitely snapped.

Calm down. Breath in, breath out. She probably forgot about you by now…. hopefully.

James and your father were already sitting down and when you reached the table you could see a sour expression on your uncle’s face. One you hadn’t seen before. You greeted Patrick, who returned the salute before returning back to talking to his brother, your dad. You tried to greet the woman, now your…aunt - you nearly threw up when the realization hit you - but she ignored you, looking at the menu and not bothering with anyone else. Fair enough. You were hungry as well.

Suddenly, you heard a screech behind you. You turned around to see a 7 years old boy running straight to your aunt - bleagh! sorry, but you couldn’t make peace with this fact - screaming his lungs out about something you couldn’t make out.

“What is it, my darling?” the woman asked, only to receive more screeching in response.

Did she actually understand that? Wow. That was impressive.

“Ok, darling. Hey.” the woman said, looking at you.

“What?” you replied, your tone harsher than you intended, earning a glare from your mother.

Maybe it was because of the hunger, but you didn’t care. You didn’t like the child at all. He had a nasty written all over him and the screaming was insufferable as well. Why can’t all children be like the little bugs? They were cute and silent… except for Hornet, but even she was way better than this brat.

“Give my son your phone. He wants to play.” she demanded.

“What? Give him yours. He ain’t touching mine. Besides, I don’t even have mine.” you said, grateful for deciding to let Grimm use it so that he could listen to some music.

Given how hard the last few days had been on him, you thought it was only fair to allow him a small indulgence.

“Liar. I bet it’s in your pocket.” the woman replied, her face distorted with fury.

Your fist would look so nice between her eyes.

Before you knew it, the boy was already reaching for your pockets, his hands looking for a phone. You yelled at him and got up from the chair, backing off. Your mother glared at you again and gestured you to sit down.

“Not until he gets away from me.” you said, pointing to the boy who was ready to throw another tantrum.

“(Y/N), you’re causing a scene!” your mother said through clenched teeth, trying not to scream.

“Excuse me?! I’m the one causing a scene?! Enjoy your meal without me. Nice seeing you, Patrick.” you said and turned around to leave.

“Wait for me, (Y/N).” James called out, to everyone’s surprise. He shook his brother’s hand and invited him over for some coffee at his office before joining you out of the restaurant and on the way home.

As you two were walking through the town, you couldn’t let go of what just happened. It should have come as no surprise for your mother to act that way. She would gladly let herself be stepped on by everyone if it meant not getting embarrassed and you hated that. Your father was, as always, not paying attention to anything but the discussion he had with his brother. Really, what was wrong with them? However, what surprised you most was James’ reaction. From the moment you sat down, you noticed his moon was all gloomy and heavy as if he was sitting at the same table with his worst enemy. He looked almost relieved when you said you were leaving.

“A-Are you alright?” you asked him, a bit hesitantly.

As if snapping from a trance, he looked at you, his eyes almost not processing his surroundings.

“Hm? Me? Oh, yeah. Just… just a bit taken aback. Didn’t… I didn’t really expect to see that woman, that’s all.” he said, before looking back down at the pavement.

“Wait. You know her?!” you yelled, stopping in your tracks.

“Somewhat. You too?” James added seeing your expression.

You nodded and his jaw dropped, trying to articulate a “How?”, but the shock didn’t let him, his tongue constantly tangling in his mouth. Suddenly, both of your stomachs grumbled, and you noticed a sweet scent of fresh baked cookies coming from a window from the apartment nearby.

“Want to go grab a bite? We can talk while we eat.” you asked, covering your tummy a bit embarrassed.

“Sure. There’s a fast food place nearby. Come.” James said as he lead you through an alley towards the promised junk food.

While you were walking, you couldn’t help but wonder, how your uncle came to know that woman. It definitely hadn’t been a happy encounter. That was for sure. Well, you will soon find out.


	17. The Pocket Watch

Once the food came out, you and James began to eat. You ordered a spicy pizza with lemon tea and James had a burger with chicken, fries on the side and a large Coca-Cola. All the food was still hot, but the hunger didn’t care and thus, neither did you two. While you were eating, you were looking out the window, where the rain began to pour despite the nice weather forecast. Well, it wasn’t anything new. You learned long ago not to trust those guys. And besides, you didn’t care whether it was rainy or sunny. Getting drenched never bothered you. It felt kind of nice to feel the water drops crashing against your skin. It was like a comforting embrace. Not that it could compare to your new grandfather’s hugs, but it felt nice, nonetheless.

“You ok, (Y/N)?”

James’ words pulled you out of your trance, and you turned to face him, offering him a smile.

“I’m fine. Just admiring the rain.” you answered, taking the cup of lemon tea between your hands.

“Glad to hear. Want some fries?”

“Nah. Want some pizza? Careful, it’s spicy.” you said as you handed him a piece.

“Thanks.” James said and took a bite of the food.

You watched amused as his face turned red and he gasped for his drink. You couldn’t help but let out a giggle after he got his normal color back.

“That was cruel.” he said, throwing you a playful glance.

“I warned you, man.” you laughed.

“Yeah. You did.”

Silence settled once more between the two of you. The question that needed to be said was hanging heavy in the air, but neither of you felt ready to give it voice. The moment was too pleasant to ruin. Still… all good things must come to an end, don’t they?

“How did you meet her?” James asked in the end.

You began to tell him about the events at the department store, how she yelled at you and how you were about to go to prison for assault when a friend came to your rescue with a bucket of sour cream. James listened and even chuckled when he learned of the woman’s childish tantrum. You didn’t tell him about Henry being one of your former bullies

“What about you?” you asked, giving him your full attention.

“I wasn’t so lucky, unfortunately. I had the pleasure of meeting the brat as well.” he said, smiling sarcastically before telling his story.

Apparently, she took her child to the museum when they held a special program just for children and threw up a fuss during the entire time. She kept on criticizing the gallery, saying that it was too bored, too unsophisticated and what not. James’ assistant tried to calm her down but in vain. The woman kept on and paid no attention to her son, as the brat was running around bothering other children and their parents. Sick of it and disgusted by her lack of respect towards his employee, he had security escort her out.

“And now she’s related to us. That sucks.” you said, praying that you won’t have to see that woman again.

“Big time. I think we may need to take on Grimm’s offer after all.”

Well…that didn’t sound bad. You know what they say, desperate situations call for desperate measures. Maybe Pale King and Radiance could help too. On the other hand, Herrah seemed far scarier than all of them combined.

As you thought about this, a sudden realization came upon you. Your mother was most likely mad because of the stunt you pulled. Surely, she will scream at you when you get home. Ugh! Good thing that it was Sunday. At least you will see Nightmare King that night.

You were numb to the screams, numb to her fury. It wasn’t like that at first, but you preferred not to think about those times when every single word she said was like a dagger in your chest. Your father tried to calm her down, but he didn’t approve of your actions either and made sure to let you know it. You listened, thankful that James was upstairs trying to calm Radiance and Grimm down before they exploded in a fit of rage. Things were bad enough as they were, having two Higher Beings get angry wouldn’t help at all. Thank heavens, your parents had to leave soon anyway.

Shortly after lecturing you they left and you sighed in relief, heading straight upstairs to join the bugs. You barely set the foot on the second floor when the children were already climbing on your leg, Ghost and Hornet perched on your shoulder and demanding to go out while Pure was helping their siblings.

You chuckled and aided the little ones up. In a matter of seconds, your arms were full of cute babies and you headed towards the room. Inside, you found James talking with Lemm, the Relic Seeker, Radiance, Grimm and Pale King whispering something in harsh tones, but you couldn’t make out what they were saying, Herrah instructing her spiders what to do with the game caught during the day, Vespa and her knight watching in silence as the new hivelings were getting used to flying and the guardians were sleeping, the others busy with their own work and needs.

What caught your attention though were the Wyrm’s hands. Despite how small they were, you could distinguish something white like bandages wrapped around his palms. Not only that, but all three Higher Beings had sour expressions on their faces, as if they ate something really bitter. White Lady wasn’t anywhere to be seen either. Did something happen while you were saying goodbye to your parents?

“Hey, what’s wrong?” you asked them, setting the little ones down, much to their irritation.

“Ah, (Y/N)! Nothing, nothing. Just boring administrative things. Nothing to worry about.” Pale King said, waving his hand off and throwing a quick glance towards the other two who nodded in agreement.

“Then what happened to your hand?” you asked.

Now that he was waving his hand around, you could clearly see that those were indeed bandages.

“Oh, this?” he said, looking surprised that you noticed. “I had a small accident in my workshop. Nothing serio… wait! That reminds me! Oh, my! How could I forget?”

He turned around, motioning two Kingsmoulds to follow him as he headed towards the palace. After a few seconds, as if stuck by lightning, Grimm ran after the Wyrm as well, shouting something about it not being ready, but neither you nor Radiance knew what “it” meant.

“Did they hit their head yesterday?” you asked, half joking and half seriously.

“Just ignore them, dear. Sometimes that’s the healthy thing to do.” the Moth answered.

A loud screak sound came from the palace and everyone turned their heads to see Pale King coming out together with a pouting Grimm and the two Kingsmoulds, pulling a cart behind them on which laid your pocket watch. You looked at in awe, struggling to find the words to say. It was so much more beautiful than before with the paint fixed and the empty slot now filled with a beautiful, crimson crystal, new patterns added with silver ink around the leaves. Pale King motioned one of the knights to open the lid of the watch. To your surprise, it was working, the tongues moving again, its ticking noise making you feel so happy. You never thought that old thing would work ever again. Even when Pale King offered to fix it, you still had your doubts.

Tears were beginning to gather in the corner of your eyes, but you quickly wiped them away.

“Thank you so much, your Highness!” you said, taking the watch in your hands.

“No need to thank me, my dear. I had quite the fun working on it. It has certainly been an interesting experience.” the King said, offering a light bow.

Even if he had no mouth, his eyes were enough to express a smile filled with glee.

“It had been pleasant indeed, but my dear Wyrm, you could have, I don’t know, maybe LET ME FINISH IT!” Grimm replied, still pouting.

His puffed-up cheeks were so adorable. It should be illegal to be this cute.

“Please. If we were to wait for you, this thing would never have been done.” Pale King replied, a note of exasperation in his voice. 

“I only want the best for our dear (Y/N). What’s wrong with that?”

“Ok. Ok. Settle down you too.” Radiance interfered. “Grimm, the watch looks great. You did an amazing job, little brother.” she said, patting the Troupe Master on the head.

A faint blush ran across his face, as he muttered a “Thank You” to his sister.

“It is really amazing, Grimm. Thank you very much, both of you.” you said, holding the watch to your chest.

“It was nothing.” the two bugs replied at the same time, both of them blushing now.

“Sooo, who is my target?” Nightmare King asked, a small flame appearing between his fingers.

“What?” you answered, stopping midway from stuffing your mouth with a chocolate brownie that were absolutely delicious.

Grimmkin were flying around you, joggling with scarlet flames and bringing in sweets and tea, always ready to pour more tea, when needed. The pocket watch was hanging by a golden chain around your neck, in the middle of the black ribbon of the new dress you were wearing. The light from the lanterns nearby were falling upon it, highlighting the crimson ruby in the center of the diamond petals.

Grandfather looked at you patiently, waiting for the answer. You set the savory treat down on the table, and looked at him, confused.

“Sorry, grandpa, but…what are you talking about?”

“Oh! My apologies. Let me rephrase that. Which one of your parents and aunt would you like me to torture with nightmares first? Of course, you can help me design them, my sweetie.” he answered blinking at you with one eye.

Your jaw dropped hearing this. Oh boy. Here we go.

“Grandpa… not now please.”

“Why not, darling? They deserve it.” he said, looking at you amazed.

“I… I don’t know. I mean… I don’t really have anything against them, you know.” you said, avoiding his gaze.

To punish your parents… you saw no reason for that. Sure, they got on your nerves most of the time, but they were still good people who cared about you. And they were your family. They were always there when you needed them, ready to help you out. You had your disagreements and troubles, but all families had those, right?

And about that woman… let’s cut her some slack for now. It wasn’t like you and her were going to see each other often, right? You had enough of her for a day. To see her again, even in a nightmare was not something you wanted to do.

“Let’s…let’s give them one more chance, ok?”

The Nightmare King said nothing, shifting his gaze from you to the landscape around you two, yet it seemed like he saw none of it. He was staring at something much more distant, a memory from a past he never talked about. The silence was tense for you. Was he unhappy with your answer?

Suddenly, he placed a hand on your head and gently patted your hair, a smile blooming on his face.

“If you wish so, I don’t mind. Just know that I will always be here for you.” he said and the warmth in his words nearly made you cry.

“Thank you so much, grandpa.” you hugged him, thanking God for letting you meet these awesome bugs.

“Though if I hear that brat screaming again, I will give him nightmares to silence him next time.”

“Please do.”

You both laughed and returned to watching the Grimmkin’s show, accompanied by the music in the background and the sweet taste of the cookies and pies and scent of lemon tea, before you had to wake up and begin another school week.


	18. Plain day

School must be cursed. That had to be it. There’s no other way. If not, how come time passed so slowly during classes, but when you were home, you barely sat down to do your homework, and boom! It was evening already.

And the children had no part in this. The first things you did when you were home was changing, eating and then straight to homework with Monomon and Pale King already waiting to get to work. If it weren’t for them, you would have been in a sea of troubles, especially at math and chemistry.

However, while you were at school, time was like a slug, a very, very confused slug who forgot every two minutes which direction he had to go even though there was ONLY ONE! FORWARD!

Now you were sitting in class, talking with Anne and a few more of your colleagues, praying for the last class to pass quickly. It was Latin. Oh boy! This will take a long while.

The bell rung long ago, but the teacher still hadn’t shown up. You didn’t care. The later she came, the better. You talked to Anne, who had a new scratch from her cat, a small she-devil that you only saw pictures of on her phone. The feline was adorable with fur so dark, she could easily get lost in the dark. Yet, under all that cuteness, a monster was hiding judging by all the wounds on your friend’s hands. You had your fair share of crazy pets, like a rooster who believed himself to be a bull and ended up chasing you around the hen’s enclosure more than once. One time, it actually tried to jump on you, only to have your mother hit it with a baseball bat you had lying around, saving you. Needless to say, you had rooster for dinner that day.

Luckily, your new friends were a bunch of bugs who wanted nothing more than to be petted and cuddle, especially the little ones. Ah! That weekend would be the first Friday when you guys would be in a dream. Happiness took over you, but also a feeling of concern. There were so many of them. Would you get to play with them all? You didn’t want any of them to feel left out and some were still mad because they had to sleep away from you during the last weekend. Pale King assured you that everything would be fine, so you decided to trust him. What else was there to do?

You sighed, just as the teacher got in, with half the class’ time already gone. She made the attendance and then, without saying a word, she got up and left. You all looked at the door, confused. Did this mean you could leave?

“Well, it’s over folks. Let’s go.” Allan said, taking out his backpack and leaving.

Soon, everyone followed him, commenting on Miss Milton’s odd behavior, but as long as you didn’t get in trouble it would be fine.

Gently, White Lady was taking off her husband’s bandages, the wounds already gone. He was so furious hearing (Y/N)’s mother scold her for what had happened, he didn’t even notice how hard he was clenching his fists, sharp claws digging into his white shell, white blood leaking through. Yes, the child had her own fault in the interaction, but so did the others. To hold only her accountable for the whole mess was unreasonable. However, his fury was not only coming from (Y/N) getting yelled at, no. It was also the fact that he could do nothing about it. To stay helplessly and just listen to his child being scolded. And he wasn’t alone in this.

Radiance felt like that too and so did Grimm. They were both doing their best to stay calm, but the Wyrm could see the anger on their faces. The Moth was defending (Y/N) like a tiger protecting her cub from foolish predators. Luckily, she kept her voice low so that the girl’s parents wouldn’t hear her, but her cold tone made the other bugs flee in their homes. The Troupe Master was quiet, the whole time, but the flames in his eyes burned so violently, even the ends of his cape were coming to life, dancing aggressively around him, like snakes made of fire. His comrades dared not approach him. Brumm tried to play a song that would calm his master, but he was stopped after the first note. Grimm was in no mood for songs and inside him, the Nightmare King wasn’t either.

In front of (Y/N), they could do nothing but play it cool to the best of their abilities. However, their faces were betraying them, and the girl knew that they were hiding something. Good thing the pocket watch was there to distract her from the matter and it also helped them relax. But did they forget? Oh, no. Not at all. How could they?

"My dear, it's nearly time for (Y/N) to come home."

White Lady's words pulled the King out of his trance. He looked at the clock in the salon. Indeed, the child will arrive shortly with another mountain of homework that will undoubtedly take her an entire day to finish. At least here he can be of help to her.

"Thank you, my Root." he said, kissing his wife on the cheek. 

As he was waiting for his daughter, the children running around and playing with each other, he looked out the window, at the ruby leaves of the trees. November was almost over, only two weeks left. The King couldn't help a sigh. Time flew to quickly in his opinion. His children have begun to grow, at least some of them. Ghost, Broken, Flower, Hornet and a few others were taller now than they were the previous month. It was a very slow process, one barely noticeable, but it happened, nonetheless. Pure was happy, as they always are when something good happened to their siblings. The King, on the other hand, was somewhat disappointed. He wished they could stay babies forever. James said all parents feel like that, but it will soon pass. Well, that remained to be seen.

"I'm home!" (Y/N)'s voice came from the hall, accompanied by the sound of her shoes falling onto the floor.

"How was school today, dear?"

"Great, Radiance. Got out earlier today. How about you and the others? Everything ok?"

"Yes. Now go, change and eat. The Wyrm is waiting for you in the salon."

Pale King flinched. The Moth shouldn't rush the girl. He wasn't going anywhere. There was plenty of paperwork for him to do with the constructions of his new kingdom, while he waited.

"I went with Anne to grab a bite so I'm not hungry. I'll just change and be there in a minute."

As the Wyrm was listening to her steps heading towards her room on the first floor, he gazed upon the window again. Time was flying to fast for him, and there was nothing he could do to help that, only to enjoy the moments he had, the best he could.


	19. All’s well that end’s well

Programming was not as hard as you imagined. Well, granted this was a very basic code that you had to write, a small function that received a number and it would calculate the sum starting from 0 and up to that number. It was simple and could be done in only a few lines with a for loop. Everyone did it in under 10 minutes, even less and now was listening to the teacher tell stories from the time she herself was studying in that very building. Mrs. Grant was a very talkative person who liked to share stories related to the teachers she had during high school, especially Mr. Gibson. She always gave you advice in regards to him and would defend him whenever you guys were complaining about his harsh teaching methods. It was a blessing that Friday ended with her class, not only because Mrs. Grant wasn't stressful but also because she always let you go early. 

December was just around the corner, with one more week left of November. The air was far colder than before and the trees were already completely naked, their leaves decaying on the ground. The shops were already decorated for Christmas with carols welcoming you the moment you stepped inside. In cafes, the scent of gingerbread was overwhelming, tempting you to buy overpriced sweets and hot chocolate. The parks were decorated with ruby and gold, the sound of children's laughter chased away by the harsh weather, the earth having turned into a treasure hunt for chestnuts lovers and parents gone to search for leaves for their offspring school projects. 

That week ended on a positive note for you. Turns out you got a decent grade on your chemistry test and Mr. Gibson didn't pick you to solve any exercise at the blackboard either. That night you will also get to play with the little ones, so one in all, it was going to be a good day. Or so you thought. 

You were already home, doing your homework for Monday so you could have the rest of the weekend free when it happened. At first, you didn't hear it, too concentrated on what Pale King was telling you on one hand, and Grimm listening to music loudly on the other. It was Hornet who came to tell you that someone was knocking at the door, but she had no idea who it was as she had never seen them before. Thinking it may have been a mistake, you went to open it, the unannounced visitors making you drop your jaw. 

There, on the doorway stood no one else but your aunt and her annoying brat, her eyes staring daggers at you. 

"About time. I've been waiting here for 30 minutes." She said in a stern tone.

Lies. Hornet would have noticed them, and it didn't take her more than 1 minute to come to the salon. The most she could have been there was 10 minutes. 

"What do you want?" You asked trying not to sound too impertinent. 

"Hmph." She puffed and you felt your temper rising. "I came fora visit. Got a problem? Where's James?" 

"He's not home. And you should have called. This is not your home to do as you please." You said, but barely have you finished your sentence when she pushed past you, her brat already rushing towards the salon. 

Cussing under your breath, you ran after the kid, ready for a fight and to kick them out. You found her sitting on the couch, already on her phone, while the child was drawing on your notebook, red lines taking form all over your homework. The bugs were gone, hiding wherever they could, but you could sense their presence nearby, especially the irritation that took over them, witnessing such a lack of manners. 

"Hey!" The woman called out to you, snapping her fingers as if you were a dog. "Bring me a coffee and my child more cookies." 

She pointed to the nearly empty plate of chocolate biscuits you and the little ones were munching on before she came. You wanted to scream at her to get out, but then it downed on you. This woman was now your aunt and if you caused a scene here, she could complain to your parents and have them force you back home. Nope. That couldn't happen. Not at all. You decided to play by her rules for now and call James to come home quickly. 

You took the empty plate and went to the kitchen where you found Monomon and her apprentice already dialing James' workplace number. She motioned you to go back to the salon as the other side picked up and she began speaking with your uncle. You nodded and filled the plate with the rest of the biscuits left in the box, before going back to that horrible woman praying to God to give you the patience to bear her rudeness. 

On the way, you noticed Grimm and Lurien fighting to pull Radiance away from the room and take her back to the second floor. They saw you too, as you prepared to go and lend them a hand, but they waved you off, some Kingsmoulds together with White Lady appearing just then to calm down the angry Moth. Some of the children were perched on the stairs ready to make a run for it in case the woman's brat had the bright idea to go and explore the house in which he shouldn't have stepped in, in the first place. They all looked at you, eyes curious and eager to lend a hand. Such darling creatures. You couldn't let them get involved in this. You put on a smile to reassure them that everything was fine and there was no need for them to worry. You had to endure it, if not for you, you had to do it for them. 

"Finally. Where's my coffee?" The woman asked the moment you stepped inside the room. 

"We don't have any more coffee. Will tea do?" You said, swallowing back the bile that rushed to your mouth. 

"What do you mean there's no more coffee? Is this how you treat your relatives?!" 

You set the plate down, harder than you intended, some biscuits falling on the carpet, but remaining there only for a few seconds, as one of the children quickly dashed towards the treat, grabbed it and then ran back to their hiding spot, between a few pillows on the ground. You looked there, trying to conceal the amazement from your face, and saw Pure holding their head with their hands and a panicked expression in their eyes. Others were there too, already devouring the food and watching their sibling scold them in a language that only they seemed to share. Well, who could blame them for being hungry? 

"Hey! Are you listening?" 

The woman's voice snapped you out of it and you looked her way, trying not to stab her with your stare. Endure! James will definitely be home soon. There was no way he would leave you hanging there, right?

"What is it?" You asked, in the plainest tone you could muster. 

"My son is bored. Take him to your room to play."

"What? No!" 

"What audacity!" 

"Who was that?!"

The woman said, looking around the room for the source of the Pale King's voice, while you were frozen in place. You began searching for him too and found the Wyrm, sitting on one of the chandelier’s arms together with Herrah and a few more weavers and Midwife. The Spider was covering the King's face, where his mouth was supposed to be, but it didn't take a genius to see that she wasn't far from exploding either. 

"Anyway!" You quickly said, grabbing the woman's attention, "your son won't set foot in my room and that's final." 

"Well too bad." The woman said with a poop-eating grin on her face. "Looks like he already left."

"Excuse me?!" 

Indeed. Taking advantage of your and his mother's distraction the boy ran upstairs, slamming all the doors in the house, searching for yours. Luckily, hearing the bugs managed to hide, before being seen by him, now watching his every move, not knowing what to do in case something happened. They never experienced something like this before and were afraid that if they were to act rashly, you might be the one to get in trouble. Feeling helpless once more, and with their king and father stuck in another room, the stags took some of the children and ran with them to Grimm and Radiance. 

Meanwhile, the boy found your room and began to throw things around, Brumm, Divine and Mila watching helplessly and trying to stay hidden from that monster. They were there all day, the two musicians practicing new songs as the other was painting some of your latest drawings. When they heard the commotion upstairs, and the noise on the hall as the boy was slamming doors left and right, they began to hide as many things that meant a lot to you as they best as they could, small drawings, books that you talked about for hours to no end, some trinkets you received from your new classmates, photos with you and the bugs that James took when neither of you were aware of him. 

"Get out of my room, right now!" You screamed at the boy, finally catching up to him.

"No! Mommy said we are guests and you need to be nice to us." The brat replied and began jumping on your bed.

"Like heck I am! I will say it only once. GET OUT!"

You pointed towards the door, but the boy didn't listen at all. Just as you were about to go and kick him out, he noticed a small, red box on your nightstand.

"Hey, what's this?" He said as he got off the bed and took the box. 

You froze and the bugs did too when they realized their failure to hide one of the most important objects, the pocket watch. The boy opened the lid, revealing the ticking piece of jewelry, shining splendidly under the light falling in the room through the opened balcony. 

"Put that back." You said, slowly approaching him.

"No. It's mine now." He replied, getting farther from you.

"No. It's not. Give it to me now." You said again, louder a d more menacing. 

Outside the bees have gathered, some soldiers ready to attack, held back only by Vespa who was hiding after the wall, and her knight. 

"You want it back?" The boy said, a smug grin on his face, one that foresaw nothing good. 

All blood drained from your face as you saw the brat drop the watch on the floor and step on it repeatedly with all his force, broken gears and cogs singing a painful song. 

"Kyahh! Whaaaa! Mommy!" The boy began to cry but you didn't care. 

One of the soldiers attacked the boy in the back, stabbing him pretty hard, a small wound appearing there. The bee retreated in time to not be seen by the crazy woman who rushed in like a madman, hearing her baby's cries. However, she wasn't alone. James was with her, his face still red, from running all the way home, too panicked to think of calling a taxi or even to take his own car. He was ready to kick that woman out the moment he stepped in the house, but now that he saw your pocket watch lying destroyed on the floor, he was ready for murder. 

"TAKE YOUR DARN BRAT AND GET OUT OF MY HOUSE THIS VERY MOMENT!" 

"W-WHAT?!" The woman replied astonished.

She wanted to yell back, but your uncle's face which was now even redder than Grimm's flames, shut her up, and James began screaming again at her to get out, which she did, scared of what the man might do to her. Once out, she turned around to screech her own profanities, only to be attacked by more angry soldiers on Vespa's orders and thus, she ran to her car, driving away to escape the furious attack of the insects. Were it not for the broken watch, you would have enjoyed it, but now, all you could do was stay there and cry, gathering the pieces with shaking hands as the bugs did their best to console you, but even they were unable to contain the tremor of their voices. 

You were lying in bed, traces of dried tears gleaming under the moonlight. It was nearly midnight and you still couldn't sleep, staring at the box by your side, with the broken watch inside. Brumm and Divine apologized to no end for their mistake but it wasn't their fault. Even Pale King was blaming himself, saying that if he hadn't spoken back then, you wouldn't have lost sight of the boy and all this would have been avoided. He didn’t have the heart to face you, and for once, Herrah left him alone to lament his own stupidity.

Outside in the garden, among the bees who were still angry that they hadn’t been able to land a successful hit on that woman, James was on the phone with your mother, Norah, telling her why you hadn’t picked up the phone. On the other end of the line, the woman was ready to start a war.

“Did that witch touch my daughter, James?” she said through obviously clenched teeth.

“No, Norah. She didn’t. Her son did destroy the pocket watch tho…”

“Who cares about that watch, James?! Is my daughter ok?!” Norah yelled so loud; your uncle was forced to remove the phone from his ears.

“(Y/N) cares, Norah. She’s fine, physically speaking, but that watch meant a lot to her. Please, understand that at least.” James cried out loud, tired after the events of the day.

“I know.” came your mother’s reply, faint and sad. “I know she loved that thing. I too am sad that it was destroyed especially after hearing that it was working, but (Y/N)’s safety comes first.”

“I understand. She’s alright, just sad for its loss.” James took a deep breath, taking a sit on the soft grass. “Give her a few days please.”

“Ok. Have you talked to Patrick about it? If he thinks his wife will get out of it, then…”

“I tried to talk to him, but he refused to listen. One of the bees stung the boy and now Patrick is too furious to listen to anything we say.”

“I knew those bees were trouble. You should get rid of them. As for Patrick, let’s leave him alone for now. I’ll have Sebastian talk to him tomorrow. Ok?”

“Ok. I agree. Giving him some time to think things over would be best.” James said sighing in relief.

Just when he and his brother were beginning to bond again, this had to happen.

“And James.”

“Yes, Norah?”

“Please take care of my daughter. She’s been through enough already.”

“Sure. That’s why I brought her here after all.” James said, a dim smile in his voice.

“Thank you.”

“Ah, Norah?”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t murder that woman. She’s not worth going to prison for.”

“As long as you don’t say anything, nobody will know it was me.” Norah responded, but James couldn’t figure out whether she was joking or not.

“Please.”

“Ok. Ok. But if she lays hands or comes close to my daughter again, then she better say her prayers.” Norah’s menacing tone send cold shivers down your uncle’s spine.

However, he couldn’t help but think that that would never happen since most surely the bugs would get to her first. When he went to check on them, Radiance had already summoned her swords and was stabbing the walls, while Grimm was ready to burn the entire house down. If that woman ever tried to do something again, hell, if she even tried to come close to the house, she would be dead in a matter of seconds.

James bid goodnight to Norah and then headed to his study where the Pale King was waiting for him, a small glass of wine between his white fingers. That was a rarity. To see the Wyrm drinking anything besides tea and water. He always claimed that he liked to have a clear mind.

“Are you alright?” James asked, closing the door behind him.

“Yes.” he paused; his gaze lost inside the scarlet liquid. “No, actually. I need to talk to you. May I?”

“Sure.” James replied, taking a sit on his desk chair. “What is it?”

He had never seen the Wyrm like that. Something must be truly bothering him if he wanted to talk with James.

“It’s my fault the pocket watch was destroyed. We didn’t have steel, so we used some materials we brought with us to make the pieces and some other metals which were weaker...”

“It’s not your fault.” James interfered, tired of everyone blaming themselves, and not the real culprit.

“Let me finish.” the King’s tone was so tired and sad. This was clearly a serious matter for him. “I also screamed earlier, in the living room when that woman was ordering (Y/N) around. If I didn’t do that, this all could have been prevented.” the King dropped the glass, the wine spreading at his feet, staining his white robe and the desk.

James could clearly see that he was shaking violently, the weight of the blame, ready to crush him down. It wasn’t just this incident. Your uncle knew that too well. The sins of his past were still clinging on to him, refusing to let go. He was afraid of losing everything again, of ruining it all.

“You’re blaming yourself too much.” James said, hoping to help the King relax a little. “No one could have foreseen something like this happening. You said your visions stopped…”

“Exactly. If only my ability would return… no. Even with my clairvoyance, I was never able to help anyone. Not my kingdom, not my subjects, nothing. Not even my own children.”

The Wyrm looked at his hands, the same ones that succumbed the eggs of his offspring into the bowl of void countless times and for what? Meaningless sacrifices that could have been avoided all that time if he only cast his pride aside. And now, he was doing it again. He crumbled to the floor, unable to contain his tears anymore.

James looked at the small bug, not knowing what to say, how to comfort him.

“You care.” he spoke in the end, his words making the King look his way.

“Excuse me?”

“You care. You want what’s best for them.” the words didn’t stop, but James had no intention to prevent them from flowing out his lips anyway. “You did some horrible things in the past and that will never change, but the future is still unfolding. You have the power to dictate what will happen from now on. Stop blaming yourself for what that brat did or for what happened in Hallownest. White Lady said the shades are showing signs of wanting to rebuild your relationship with them. Isn’t that great?! Focus on that instead. There’s no use beating yourself over the past. Every single one of us has regrets, things they wished they never did or to have done differently, but we have to move on. There’s no other way around that.” he went silent for a moment, looking at the King’s reaction.

The Wyrm was silent for a while, pondering his words. Indeed, he had to move on. Crying over the past was not helping anybody but did he have the power to do so? What if he failed again? What if…

“(Y/N) needs you now. You and Grimm and Radiance… you should be there, with her.”

“What if she hates me?”

“I doubt that. Now go.” James said and gave him a smile.

“Are you sure about that?”

“What else can we do? Leave her there like that?”

“Stop bickering like stupid vengefly. Just get in already.”

You heard the three Higher Beings arguing in the doorway. You turned around slightly, enough to catch a glimpse of their faces.

“Hey.” you called out to them, tired yet unable to sleep.

The bugs looked at you, a bit embarrassed that you had to see them like that. Grimm stepped inside, a bit hesitantly.

“Do you mind if we came in, my dear?” he asked.

You didn’t respond right away, but things had to be said.

“I’m sorry.” you whispered softly, but loud enough for them to hear you.

“About what, my darling?” Radiance asked, flying towards you and landing on the sheet, placing one of her wings on your cheek.

Her touch was so warm, especially as she wiped away your tears like a mother comforting her child. To see you like this tore her apart. Once more she failed to protect you, but she couldn’t blame her brother for that. If he hadn’t interfered, things could have been much, much worse. When did she became like that? When did anger begin to dictate her every action? Was… was she always this filled with fury? She couldn’t recall having such outburst back when it was just her and Grimm. Was that when it all began? She had to learn to control herself. For your sake, for James, for everyone. At first, she cared not about you. Truth be told, she expected you to be just another huge baby to care for, but oh! how wrong she was. The moment she saw you, she felt a strange feeling warming its way into her heart, just like when she created her moths, her children. She took you under her wings in a matter of seconds and now, it pained her that she couldn’t help you when you needed her most.

“For everything.” you answered again, as faintly as possible. “If I had paid more attention to the boy, the watch wouldn’t have been destroyed.”

“Excuse me? My dear, this is not your fault.” Pale King replied, rushing to your side. “If I hadn’t spoken then, nothing of this could have happened.”

“You’re both wrong. I shouldn’t have stopped my sister from stabbing those two, everything would have been fine.” Grimm scolded both of you, as he teleported next to you and the Moth.

“If you hadn’t stopped me, (Y/N) could have been blamed for murder, you idiot.” Radiance snapped at her younger brother.

“I was glad you spoke up. I heard from James that Camelia, my aunt, believes the house is haunted. Now she’ll never come here again. You saved us from any more of her visits.” you told the king, offering him a smile.

“You have no fault in the watch being broken, my child. Who could have imagined that that boy was so ill-mannered?” the King commented, caressing your hair.

“And you don’t have to worry about the watch. We can just repair it again. Oh! I have so many ideas about the design.” The Troupe Master added, dreaming already of all the patterns he could paint.

“Wait. So you’re not mad about it?” you asked, confused.

They worked so hard to fix it, only to have all their effort thrown in the trash because of your negligence.

“Of course not, our dear.” The King said, in a hurry. “How could you possibly think that?! You’re the one who should be mad at us!”

“We failed to protect you. We shouldn’t have hidden like cowards and let you handle everything.” Radiance told you, looking at the sheet underneath her feet, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

“What?! No! You failed at nothing! If Camelia found out about you, she would have told my mother and force me back home!” you yelled, astonished at their feelings.

They did the right thing! What was there to be ashamed of?

“So, you’re not angry at us?” Grimm asked, holding his hands in a prayer, hope filling his chest.

“Of course not, guys. You are my family, after all.” you said, your vision becoming blurry again as the tears were beginning to form. “If anything, you should be mad at me.”

“NEVER!” all three Higher Beings spoke at the same time and hugged you as hard as they could.

Tears were shed, but they were not birthed of sorrow, but joy and relief as you all realized that the bonds between you were still as strong as ever, maybe even tougher.

It was past 9:00 a.m. when James came to wake you up, but he decided against it, the moment he opened the door to your room. A smile bloomed on his face as he saw you, surrounded by the children and the three Higher Beings, sleeping peacefully together. That night, you didn’t spend it with the children sadly, but with your dear parents, enjoying a calm and peaceful slumber. There was no need for dreams, the silence saying everything that needed to be put into words as feelings are often louder than anything in the entire world.

“All’s well that ends well, right?” Herrah said, from her place on James’ shoulder.

“Indeed.” He replied, closing the door as he left.

He didn’t have the heart to disturb you and it was Sunday, anyway. You could afford to sleep some more. There was one problem though. 

“Who’s going to make breakfast?” your uncle asked as his stomach growled in agreement.

“Why you?!” The Spider Queen punched the man in the shoulder, causing him to both snarl and giggle.

Everything is well that ends well, indeed.


	20. Midterms

Last week of November. The nightmare of all high and primary school children and teenagers for it signified the beginning of the greatest and longest torture of them all, midterms. Everyone was crying, hopes were crushed, and plans were cancelled. People that used to hang out all day long were now nowhere to be seen as the parents were guarding them like a hawk guards its prey, ready to smack the living days out of them should they for even one-minute dare to leave their desk and stop studying. The only reasons acceptable enough to take a break were eating and going to the toiled. Everything else was deemed... was d-deemed un.... pwa Hahaha! Couldn't write that with a straight face. Sorry. Oh. It stays in. No way I'm taking this out... Sorry...Back to the story. 

But yeah. Midterms were right around the corner and everyone was freaking out as that grade dictated whether or not you were going to fail the class or not for the most part. You could have had terrible grades all semester long, if your midterm mark was high enough, you could still pass. The time was going by faster than usual and even the curse upon the school seemed to have been lifted. There were 4 midterms in total, 3 which were mandatory and 1 where you had to choose from three other classes: Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The mandatory ones were English, Informatics and Mathematics. 

You had no problem with the first two as the teachers were easy going and the material was easy to understand. The other two on the other hand... those were enough to give you nightmares and not the pleasant ones with Grandpa Grimm. Fortunately, the bugs were more than willing to help you out even in your dreams. Pale King had already made an entire recap plan for you, designing his own exercises which increased in difficulty the further you proceeded. He was always by your side, offering explanations where they were needed. Every day and night, he was working with you, both encouraging you and being stern where he had to be. 

Radiance was making sure to slow down the time in your dreams as much as she could, so that you would have more time to study, and also sneak an hour to play with the little ones here and there. Lately, they felt neglected and you couldn't help but admit that you hadn't been paying too much attention to them, but you were determined to make up for it. You made use of the little time you had with them in full and they did the same, especially Pure. 

They were much taller than you in the dream, and now they could comfortably hold you in their arms as if you were just another sibling. You had nothing against that, poor baby rarely expressing any wish even when they were encouraged to. You still didn't understand why, but it didn't matter. Why ruin a precious family moment with question that nobody wanted to answer? The other children didn't mind Pure holding you either. They would actually try to see how many could fit in your lap and have their older sibling carry them around. The first time they did that, there were 4 sweet baby bugs sitting somewhat comfortably in your arms. After that they came up with new ways to position themselves so that even more could fit in. They were adorable to watch, the sight of them helping each other filling you with warmth. You also played tag and dodgeball and many other games they had read of in the book provided by James or heard you talking about. Grimmchild was there too, flying after the balls being tossed around or spewing harmless fire balls at the little ones when playing tag. Ghost tried to make him stop but they couldn't resist his big, begging eyes and soft mews. Who could? So you all accepted you fate of getting covered in ash by the end of the hour-long break. 

With a relaxed mind, it was far easier to concentrate on the exercises and you found yourself understanding the King's explanations easier. Soon, you were able to solve medium level problems in a matter of 10 minutes and not almost an hour like before. However, that was not to say you would have had no difficulty at the midterm. This was Mr. Gibson after all. He always seemed to find a way to make things much harder than they had to be and this was the most important test in the entire semester. It was bound to be hard beyond your worst nightmares. 

The first midterm on the 26th of November was Informatics and as usual, the requirement was to write a small piece of code that would recursively calculate the Fourier function up to 20. This was a beginner's class after all. It took less than half an hour to solve it as the code itself was pretty long, variables needing to be defined and assigned value to. At the end, Mrs. Grant came, saw that it was working, and it displayed the correct result and graded you on the spot. Everyone passed with flying colors, save for a few classmates who used the for loop to solve it. However, since the teacher was such a sweetheart, she accepted their solution but gave them only half of the passing grade which was still good. 

Next, it was English on 30th of November. Given that it was an easy subject and only required you to write an opinion essay on a certain topic it was aced close after the first one. Grimm insisted to help you with this one and didn't take "no" for an answer. He had you write essay after essay, correcting your grammar and offering advice on how to improve your writing, how to highlight your ideas better. The theme of the one in the midterm was Friends & Family. You felt dumb stuck when you read the requirement. Was this some kind of joke from above? Nevertheless, you spend an entire hour, hardly containing your feelings inside, careful not to spill everything on paper. When you were done, it felt as if ages had passed and not a mere hour, tired and longing for a bed to lay in. 

It was already the 10th of December when the third midterm rolled around. Thanks to Monomon's help, you found it easy to solve all the problems and questions. Too easy almost. After that, there was one more left, on the 20th, right before the winter holiday, Mathematics.

You spend the remaining time moving like a zombie, too worried about what could happen and your mind making all sorts of scenarios of how things could go wrong. The others tried to help you out, offering comforting words and all the help they could, but in vain. You were too stressed out. 

It wasn't only you though. Everyone in your class was all over the place, talking about nothing but the upcoming midterm. Poor Anne was so tired, she ended up dozing off in class more than once. During breaks, all of you were solving exercises, begging the teachers to postpone the lesson and let you continue study. Most of them did, knowing all too well what you guys were going through. Some didn't care at all, calling you lazy and lecturing you about how it was too late to learn anything, that you should have prepared ahead of time, etc. etc. After 10 days of such torture, the time had finally come. 

On that day, you were feeling worse than ever, having been unable to sleep from the stress, despite Radiance's best efforts. You couldn't eat anything as your stomach was too tight to let any food get in, forcing you to throw it all up. James advised you to skip that day, but you refused. To prolong that torture would have only made it worse. Seeing your stubbornness, he gave up but made you promise him that you'd come straight home as soon as the midterm was over, a request you were more than happy to grant. 

"Hey, (Y/N)! Ready for the big day?" Anne asked you, the moment you placed your backpack on your side of the desk. 

"Ready for it to be over, yeah." You replied, crashing into the chair. 

Math was the second class that day. Well, at least you didn't have to wait for long. You reached out to your bag, intending to take out the Physics textbook and notebook when you heard a soft mew coming from inside it, followed by a strong sense of Deja-vu. "Not again." You thought as you got up and excused yourself to the bathroom. 

As soon as you closed the stall door, you put your backpack on the closed toilet and gave it the most angry look you were capable of. 

"Come out guys." You said and after a few minutes, the heads of Ghost, Hornet and Grimmchild peaked out from the insides of the backpack. 

Of course, it had to be these three. 

"Should I even bother asking why you're here?" You asked, feeling a headache ready to join the party.

"To support you, of course." Hornet replied and the other two nodded in agreement." And we aren't alone."

"Say what?" 

Instead of words, your question was answered by a motion coming from one of the pockets of your backpack. With shaking hands, you opened it, expecting to see other children, but the truth was far more astonishing. There, crammed in the little space they had, where none other than your Higher Being parents, pushing and elbowing each other. As usual, Grimm was the first to greet you and wave a hand your way, while Radiance and Pale King were hiding their faces glowing with embarrassment, obviously not expecting to be caught so quickly. 

"W-What are you doing here?" You asked, stuttering a bit.

"We came to encourage you, our dear. And make sure you will be alright." Said Grimm. 

"That's right!" Radiance joined in. "Do you have any idea how you looked when you left the house? No way we could sit still and let you on your own." 

"We had to tag along to make sure you would be alright and to also offer our support. This is what families do, after all." The Wyrm said as well. 

You were moved to tears. After they had to put up with your tantrums for an entire week, they came all this way here only so that they could offer more help? Oh! What did you ever do to deserve them? 

"Thank you." You said, struggling to fight off tears. "Thank you so much." 

"No need for that child." The Moth flew up to your chest, giving you a warm embrace. 

Just as you were about to hug the others, the bell rang, and you had to get back to class. You gathered everyone and placed them all inside your backpack, where they could sit comfortably. 

"Ok. Let's go show Mr. Gibson who's boss." You said as you exited the bathroom stall, encouraged by your strange and dear family. 

Let Mr Gibson do his worst. There was nothing that could tear you down now. You had a wonderful family wishing you luck and holding your back. You were invincible with them by your side. 

The midterm came and went away, and you felt relieved to be finally free of it all. The subjects were not that easy but not hard either. You were confident that you would receive a passing grade. 

Now, you were walking home, breathing in the fresh air if the morning. After the midterm was over, your body demanded the rest you so vehemently denied it and so you asked to be let go for the day. To your surprise, James had already phoned the school, requesting them to let you go home after the math class as well. He must have been worried sick as well. You had to apologize when he got home to him, to everyone. You were so worried about the whole deal; you didn't even notice how much you made the others stress out about you. 

"Thank you." You said again to the bugs perched on your shoulder and resting between the folds of your shawl. 

"Again with thanking us?! My dear, we already told you there's no need for that." Radiance snapped at you, making you giggle.

"That's right. We only did what was natural of us to do as your parents. Supporting our children in everything they do." Grimm said, caressing his son's head and holding him close to his chest.

"Indeed. Our help might be limited, but that only means that we have to offer it in full wherever we can." Pale King added too, Ghost and Hornet by his side, holding their hands tighter as he spoke. 

You smiled again. Yeah, what did you ever do to deserve such a blessing? 


	21. Before leaving

Thursday, the day when the winter holiday began, the one eagerly awaited by everyone. Everyone but you. It felt strange, yes, but you didn't want school to be over. Why? Because it meant that tomorrow morning you will be on your way back to your parent's house. There was no room for negotiations. Your mother made that clear. She wanted the entire family to be home for Christmas. It was that one time of the year, after all, when everyone was home and not gone God knows where, and you would eat together, talking and joking, or at least trying not to get on each other’s nerves. Still, you would have liked to have the Higher Beings there as well, but the plans have already been made. There were relatives to visit, lives to catch up to.

Well, it was only two weeks and given that it was a holiday, time was bound to pass quickly, as it always did. In the blink of an eye, school will begin again, and everything will return to normal.

"Tomorrow, (Y/N) will go home." White Lady said, as she was watching the snow fall over the backyard together with her husband and some of the little ones. 

"Yes, she will." The Wyrm replied with half a mouth. 

When James told them that, he wasn't pleased with it, but these were her parents, her actual, biological parents. It wouldn't have been fair to them to be deprived of their daughter on such an occasion. Hallownest had never celebrated any of the holidays that humans did, but once they had moved in with James, they thought it was only polite to learn more about their culture. That was how they found out about Christmas, Easter, Halloween and so many others such days which had been deemed special for certain reasons. They were interesting, to say the least, and before long, some bugs actually adopted some parts of the holidays as well. The King saw no need to forbid his subjects from doing so, though he was forced to partake in it as well. What sort of ruler does not find pleasure in the activities that bring a smile on his subject's faces? 

"What are you guys doing?" Radiance asked, dragging her feathers on the floor behind her.

Ever since she heard that (Y/N) had to go back home, her glimmer had become duller, her feathers had lost their elegance and she stopped displaying that pride that she still clung to. She was mad about the entire situation, but she did her best not to show it around her daughter, yet the facade left her tired and looking all dejected in front of others. Grimm offered to try and cheer his sister up, but in vain. The Moth was too depressed, and everyone knew why. She was losing her child for a second time. Just like the moth tribe, (Y/N) will go away and, in the meantime, she will forget about Radiance and who knew? Maybe she won’t even want to come back. Everyone told her that her fears were unfounded, but nobody’s words could reach her. She refused to listen, the fright in her heart too strong to be chased away by mere promises. However, they couldn’t tell (Y/N) anything, for if they did, she would undoubtedly ask questions, demanding answers nobody was ready to reveal. In the end, they decided to do their best and put up with Radiance’s mood for now. A difficult task, yes, but doable. 

“Lady Radiance, this trip is no different from her going to school every day, except that it is longer. There’s nothing to worry about.” White Lady tried to reason with her once.

“But then she still comes home every day. Now she won’t be here at all, for two whole weeks.” Radiance replied, turning her back to the Queen and going away, leaving her alone to talk to the walls.

“Oh, Radiance! We were talking about tomorrow. Care to join us?” Root asked, always polite.

“No. I’ll just sit here.” the Moth said and crashed clumsily on top of a large pillow, left unoccupied by the children.

“O…Ok.” White Lady looked at her husband, but he shrugged.

In his and Grimm’s minds, the best thing to do about the Radiance was to leave her alone to sulk by herself in peace. The Queen didn’t agree with them and she still tried to help the Moth out but seeing the Higher Being lying face down on the pillow in such an unstylish manner, she was at a loss for words. Fortunately, she didn’t need to think too much of a way to cheer her up.

“I’m home!” (Y/N)’s voice came from the hall, as the front door opened and closed.

As soon as Radiance heard her daughter, she jerked up from her seat, her light and grace quickly returning to her as if they were never gone. No one would have suspected that the sluggish, faded moth from before was the same one as the shining being that was now flying to greet her child.

“I told you she’s going to be alright, my dear.” the Wyrm spoke, squeezing his wife’s hand in his.

“Yes, but that won’t last for long.” Root replied, turning her head to look at the mother and daughter, fearing the moment of separation which was approaching.

You were shoveling the backyard, creating a good place for the little ones to play in, as the snow had gathered too much now, and the children could easily get lost into. No bees were outside to watch you work and occasionally demand to be petted. The harsh air kept them inside together with the spiders whose frozen webs were decorating the corners of the house. Grimm too was stuck inside the warmth offered by the home as well, the cold too much for him to handle. His son and troupe members were fine with it though, but to each their own, after all.

You made sure to leave a thin layer of the white blanket behind, enough for the small bugs to make snowmen and angels, tossing the rest on the sides of the backyard. Radiance was sitting comfortably between the folds of your shawl, asking you about school and your classmates. Even if the day would be completely monotone without anything that could add a little bit of color to it, she still liked hearing you talk about it. You told her about the quarrels between Mr. Kruse, the Geography teacher, and Eddie, one of your colleagues, how the guys on duty, Jessica and Owen were punished with an addition week because the sponge was a bit wetter than necessary. The Moth listened patiently, offering commentary when it was due, or letting out a giggle at some jokes you made here and there. 

“Ok, kids! Let’s play!” you called out to the little ones once the job was over, and the shovel was in the shed

Ghost and Grimmchild were already on positions, cold, silver balls taking form in the Wyrm’s child’s tiny fists. In a matter of minutes, the fronts were already set, you and Pure forced to stand by as you two were taller than all of them and the game wouldn’t be fair. You didn’t mind and took the bug to help you search for the samovar your uncle used that night when it first snowed. Pure found it after a few minutes, placed high above a counter that you couldn’t reach.

“There goes the tea, unfortunately.” you said, looking a tad disappointed. “Well, that’s that. Want some hot chocolate?”

Radiance and Pure nodded and you took them inside, where you made enough of the delicious drink for every bug in the house.

The war game the little ones were playing outside, continued for another half an hour, after you gave each of them their respective cup of chocolate. Pale King and White Lady came to watch their children too, offering to grant the winning team any wish they may have. If before, the game was mostly out of fun, now it was a full-on war, the prize too sweet to let go of. Snowballs were thrown without mercy, plans to take down the enemies were constructed with such dedication, you had to wonder what they could be yearning for so badly to have that level of determination.

Those who had been hit, forced to stand aside while the rest continued the battle, would come to you, climbing in the pockets of your jacked or snuggling besides Radiance and Pure who was sleeping peacefully, covered by the soft fabric. In the end, only Hornet and Ghost have remained, Grimmchild having abandoned the fight out of his own free will and was now perched between Pure’s horns. Neither of the surviving siblings wanted to lose, both of them trying to take advantage of any opening that was presented and doing their best to defend against the other’s attack at the same time. After a few good minutes of struggling, the match ended in a tie, when both Hornet and Ghost were too tired to continue, even with their brethren’s encouragements in the background.

Pale King clapped his hands, praising his two children for reaching this far, and asking them what they wished for. Since neither team won, they had to share the wish. That was easier said then done. Each one of them wanted something different, some wanted toys while others wanted sweets and so on. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor King. He clearly wasn’t expecting this.

“How about (Y/N) stay here during the holidays?” Hornet asked, and everyone looked at her, including you.

Radiance, who had been staying quietly in her place, got up in the blink of an eye, a cluster of emotions gathering in her chest. The children were the same, all of them having stopped moving around, eager to hear their father’s answer. 

“My child,” the King began sighing. “You know very well that that is beyond my powers. Please, request something else.”

“But why?” Hornet cried out, accompanied by her sibling’s agreeing gazes.

“Because she has a family of her own, my dear.” White Lady interfered, helping her husband. “Her parents want her to be with them during the holidays. Wouldn’t it be cruel to deny them their rightful wish?”

Hornet seemed to be pondering on Root’s words, but then again, she was a princess herself and being told no wasn’t something she was used to. As she was ready to speak again, a memory from last night dawned upon you. Nightmare King had paid you a visit back then, wishing to offer you something special.

“Um… can I say something?” you said, raising a hand as if you were in a classroom.

“What is it, my child?” The Wyrm asked, looking your way.

“Nightmare King gave me this last night.” You said and pulled your sleeve up your arm to reveal a black bracelet with crimson dreamcatchers and the symbol of the Grimm troupe, a mask with two horns, attached to it. “He said, with this he’ll be able to tell right away which is my nightmare and come visit me. I wondered if you guys couldn’t do the same, you know.”

A dead silence ensued as Radiance wanted the ground to swallow her up and Pale King was forcing himself to not smash his head into the closest wall. Such an obvious solution, right under their noses and they hadn’t noticed it at all. White Lady couldn’t help a giggle, relieved that the whole issue had been finally solved and the Moth’s depression will go away now that she knew she could visit you every night. However, with this wish granted already, the problem of what to ask for arose again and the children began quarreling with each other once more. It was going to take a long while for them to make up their mind.

The moonlight falling through the trees was like an enchantment placed upon the world, making it look bright and pure. The snow hadn’t stopped falling even at that late hour, the air much colder now than it was during the day, when the sun still claimed the throne in the sky. You walked slowly on the road leading from the house to a large forest nearby, admiring the view around you. James’ home was located at the end of that small town, and there were no neighbors around, only an untouched land, filled with trees and other wild vegetation and animals that never bothered to venture too near the house or garden. You and James were the only humans around that place.

Grimmkin’s torches were illuminating the way, casting scarlet light all around. Combined with the white of the snow and the darkness of the night, they created a mystical air that you couldn’t tear yourself from. The small ghost-like beings were floating around you, knowing full well that their master had his eyes on them, even so far from home. Were they to leave you alone and wonder off, they would get a full taste of his fury which neither of them wanted.

Ghost was looking at the falling snow, reaching out occasionally to catch some of the snowflakes, watching them melt between their hands, enjoying the beautiful forms and shapes while they lasted. Your muffler was wet because of their game but you didn’t have the heart to stop them. Pure was also finding delight the cold air, after a long day of watching after their siblings.

In the end, the children wished for toys, and the King was locked in his workshop all day, working on the request, while the task of taking care of the little ones fell upon Pure and White Lady. With their father busy, the babies were more rumbustious than before, those who were somewhat quiet, staying with their mother and watching the weather, while listening to music or drawing in a coloring book with bits of colored wax crayons you got them. The rest were running around outside under your and Pure’s supervision, hitting each other with snowballs and purposely getting lost in the walls of snow gathered on the side of the garden only for you two to go and get them out. When the King called them inside as it was their bedtime, both of you were ready to jump up with joy.

Now, you couldn’t sleep for some reason and decided to go out for a stroll, the night air bound to do you good. As you were ready to walk out the door, you found Pure doing the same thing together with Ghost, neither able to rest and allow the sweet slumber to wash over them, so you decided to take them along. The more the merrier, they say. However, Grimm, too, caught you, just as you opened the door while on his way to the kitchen to get some food. He began to eat a lot once the winter settled in. He didn’t agree at all with your idea, saying that it was too late, too cold and what not. You didn’t waver and soon, he gave up trying to change your mind, and ordered the Grimmkin Nightmares to accompany you and light your way with their torches.

So much has changed since the time you first got there, you could hardly believe this was all real, but if it was a dream, you had no intention to wake up. If anyone had come to you a year ago and told you that you will end up being the adopted daughter of three bugs and have hundreds of siblings, you would have laughed in their face and walked off. Now, you couldn’t imagine life without them anymore. Every minute was worth it, every hour memorable. You could hardly wait for the night when they will visit you with both Radiance and Nightmare King. However, one thing made you wonder. Grandpa said that he will visit you every time you had a nightmare. Did that mean you had to have nightmares during these two weeks? Oh well. Guess it’s time to finally watch all those horror movies you were too scared to see but wanted to. You were in for some fun nights, that was for sure. 

“Hmph. I wish she hadn’t shown them the bracelet.” Nightmare King said, pouting and messing with his cup of tea, nearly spilling the now cold liquid.

Grimm ignored him and continued to focus on the play he was writing. Usually, he’d spend his time in the Nightmare with the other troupe members, working on refining their skills or simply having a chat with them, but he chose to come and pay the King a visit that night. The cold always made him feel weird, and do things he normally wouldn’t, or that he hadn’t done in a long time. This was one such thing. It wasn’t that he disliked the Higher Being. Not at all. They were family after all. However, there was a silent pack between them, one that forbid the two from interacting too much, so that their connection wouldn’t deepen too much. So that when the Ritual took place, there wouldn’t be too much pain on either side. But now… the cycle was needed no longer.

Humans were such peculiar creatures, some filled with fear, others longing to feel the adrenaline of a good fright course through their veins and thus welcomed the terror-filled dreams with open arms. And the lands they called home… years filled with battles, bloodshed and disasters. Nightmares were everywhere, scarlet flames just waiting to be consumed. And they were huge, not tiny like those of bugs. To eat one took well over two days and once it was gone, another quickly took its place. The Heart was slowly beginning to heal, fueled by the vast amount of essence that was all around them. With each passing day, it regained a little more of its former power and glory. The sacrifices from before were useless now. The child could grow together with his parent in peace.

That also meant that now the King was free to get closer to his family, to the Troupe Master and the child. That was easier said than done as neither of them knew how. But they decided to take it slow. Now, they had plenty of time ahead. 

“Pay attention to me. It’s so rude of you to ignore your poor father when he’s down.” the Scarlet One snapped, reaching out a hand and poking his son’s cheek repeatedly.

Truth be told, the Nightmare King wasn’t Grimm’s father, but more like a very distant grandfather. Still, that didn’t matter to either of them. They were one and the same, yet so very different at the same time. The nature of their biological relationship was of no importance.

“It wasn’t you who had to put up with Radiance’s depressing attitude. At least, now she stopped sulking.” Grimm answered. “And her expression was quite nice when she realize she could visit (Y/N) in her dream.”

“Indeed. My sister looked so dumbfounded.” The King replied, snickering. It had been a long while since he saw that idiotic look on the Moth’s face.

They laughed about it together but then, the Troupe Master returned to his work and the Scarlet One sighed.

“You’re no fun.” the King said, putting his head on the table, fighting the temptation to set the papers on fire with one breath.

“And you’re a big baby.”

“Oh, yeah?”

In the blink of an eye, the play was turned to ash, fire rendering the last hours of hard work to nothing. Grimm looked at his father in disbelief.

“W-What was that for?!” he managed to say at last, his mind still trying to comprehend this audacity.

“Catch me if you can!” The King yelled and turned into a bunch of black Grimmchildren, each one flying in a different corner of the garden.

Grimm looked at them go and facepalmed himself. This…this was why he hated coming here without (Y/N).


	22. Dream night

The car ride was considerably shorter than before. At least, that’s how you felt it had been compared to last time. Your father was on the phone most of the time, exchanging few words with you. Not that it mattered to you as you were too absorbed by the playlist Grimm and Brumm put together the day before. It was mostly classical music, featuring especially piano and accordion, each song brimming with a soft tune and warm feeling. You had to thank those two for this one later when you would phone James.

When you got home, your mother came to help you take your luggage to the room you shared with your older sister, May. She was only two years older than you, but you two could never see eye to eye, always fighting from the most meaningless of things. Now, she was sitting at the desk, listening to music and surfing the internet on the computer, completely ignoring what was going on around her. Fine by you.

You said a rushed hello, before you began unpacking. You had only one luggage full of clothes and a backpack with your laptop, the chargers for it and your phone, and a few notebooks and pens in case you wanted to draw. James gave you the oddest of looks after he tried to pick it up and felt how heavy it was. You were fine with it though. The textbooks for school were far heavier than that, anyway, so you had plenty of strength from carrying those for five days a week for a few months. 

“Are you hungry?” your mother asked, helping you put your clothes in the closet.

“Not really. What do we have?”

“I want to ask your dad to order pizza. It’s that, ok?”

“Ok? It’s pizza! Of course, it is.” you said, shocked that your mother had to ask something like that. When did you ever complain about having to eat pizza?

“Ok. I’ll order as soon as we are done here.” she said as she took another one of your old shirts modified by Grimm and the weavers and examined the handiwork.

“Don’t worry about it. I can finish it off myself. You go and make the order.” you said and took the shirt from her, putting it in the closet, on your shelf. 

You didn’t know how to explain to your mother why all your clothes had been changed and some were missing. You got away with the pajamas last time, but you didn’t want to push your luck. She went away and you finished the job soon after, relieved that so far so good but you knew that she will see your clothes eventually. You had to think of a good excuse until them, but for now, you could relax and wait for the pizza to arrive. 

You decided to play some games until the pizza arrived and went to your backpack which was on the upper bed of the bunk you and your sister had to sleep in. The lower one was May’s as she moved a lot in her sleep and thus if she fell, she was close to the ground. As you sat down on the black covers, ready to take your laptop out, your face went white.

Here we go, AGAIN!

You looked at your sister to make sure she wasn’t listening or paying any attention to you and then whispered to the bugs waiting patiently inside your backpack.

“Don’t come out until I say so, ok?”

They nodded, and you began to take out your belongings. It was no use carrying them around after all. As soon as you were done, you headed outside, holding the backpack in your arms, close to your chest.

“Where are you going?” your mother asked, seeing you walk towards the door.

“To see the dogs. I missed them.” you said which wasn’t quite a lie.

“Ok. And the backpack?”

“I have some treats for them.”

“Don’t give them too many or else they won’t eat later.”

“I think we both know that will never happen.” you said as you put on your boots and jacket.

Yeah, those dogs had black holes instead of stomachs, especially Aky. He was a half Caucasian Sheppard, with fur white as snow, who had a strange habit which was also adorable. He liked to get on his back paws and wrap his front ones around your neck, placing his head on your chest and just standing there like that. He was so cute when he did that, he always melted your heart.

You went to the garden, where you found both dogs deeply asleep. Not wanting to wake them up, you headed straight to the garden where there was a small field that your family used for picnics or when they simply wanted to relax during summer. Your father put there a long wooden table and some chairs which he must have forgotten to take them inside as they were now covered in snow, just like the rest of the world. You cleaned off a small spot of the table and placed your backpack on it. You sighed, taking one last look over the sleeping village.

No one was outside, grey smoke coming from the furnaces of each home, only the children were brave enough to venture in the cold winter air, laughing and hitting each other with snowballs, just like the little bugs did too.

“Ok. You can come out now.” you said, after making sure no one was looking for you.

Hornet was the first to come out, her eyes taking a little while before adjusting to the sudden light after a few hours stuck in the darkness of the backpack. She was soon followed by Ghost, Pure who was as apologetic as over, Broken and Flower and a sleepy Grimmchild. Besides the tallest one, neither of them seemed to grasp the situation.

“Let me guess, your parents have no idea where you are, right?” you said, eyes on all of them.

“Nope.”

Ugh! Why was she so nonchalant about the whole deal?!

You took out your phone just in time to see James’ name pop up and the ringtone begun to play. You answered.

“Let me guess, the children are missing.” you said, trying not to glare their way.

“Yes. They’re with you, right?”

“Yep. So, what are we going to do?”

“I’m too busy to come pick them up.” James sighed, and you could feel the exhaustion in his voice. “I…”

“I’ll look after them, then.”

“Are you sure?” James was surprised to hear your offer.

Sure? No. Not at all. You rued the words the moment they left your lips, but James was obviously tired, and he helped you so many times. It was the least you could do to return his kindness.

“Yes. How hard could it be? Anyway, tell Radiance and the others that they’re safe. I don’t want them to worry.”

“Ok. I’ll try to swing by around Christmas and if I do, I’ll take them back home.”

“Are you that busy?” you asked, cursing yourself for being so ignorant. You should have paid more attention to the museum’s schedule, to James’ life in general. You thought you knew him, but in the end, you had no idea of who he really was.

“N-No…it’s j-just…it’s….” he tried to say something, but the words obviously refused to come out.

“Hey, are you ok?” you asked, genuinely worried about him.

“Oh…yeah. Sorry, but I need to go. Good luck with the children.” he said and hung up on you, not expecting an answer.

You were left there, staring at the phone and couldn’t help but wonder what could have troubled him so. You learned from the first day that James was carrying a heavy cross on his shoulders, and he didn’t want to talk about it, but even so. Was there nothing you could do to help him?

Suddenly, you felt a light touch on your shoulder and the well-known sensation of little hands caressing your cheek. You turned your head to see Pure and Ghost who were already trying to comfort you. Hornet was also looking at you too, concern written all over her face, just like the rest.

“It’s going to be ok; you know. We can take care of ourselves. Actually, I’m sure this is going to be fun.” The princess said and her words offered more solace than you expected.

Fun? Yeah. It could be. After all, there was never a dull moment with these children around.

“Ok. But you must be careful. My parents must not find out about you. Deal?” you said, trying to be serious and not smile.

“Deal.” Hornet said, nodding. “So… what’s there to do around here?” she asked looking around at the vast white land, at the houses below with snowmen in the backyards.

“I don’t know. What do you guys want to do?” you asked, trying to squeeze out any idea out of your brain.

“Well, Pure really wants to see the dogs. They think the white one was really cute.” the princess said smiling, looking at her sibling who had a purple blush over their face. 

“Ok. Let’s go.” you said as put the backpack on and took the little ones in your hands, carefully placing them in the pockets of your jacket.

  
Aky was already awake and ready to play by the time you got to him, Rex still sleeping inside his house. Pure had a blast caressing the canine’s dense fur, while the others were climbing on his back and trying not to get lost in the sea of white hair. You were trying to keep the dog from scratching himself as the little ones were exploring, which was quite hard as he had more strength than you.

When you were done, you returned to your room, where May was still on the computer, this time talking with some of her friends, listening to music. You thanked God for that and climbed onto your bed, opening your laptop and choosing a movie to watch for the rest of the day when your mother came to call you and your sister since the pizza had finally arrived. After making sure the little ones wouldn’t come out unannounced, you headed to the kitchen where you ate your share and sneaked some tangerines in your room, to feed the bugs. The rest of the day was dull, with you and the children watching The Grinch and many other movies. No one suspected anything, but you did get yelled at when you went to throw the fruit’s skin in the trash bin from the kitchen. A small price to pay for the little one’s protection.

At night, you and the bugs fell asleep quickly, after thoughtfully readying yourselves for what was about to come. Radiance promised to bring Pale King along during the first night as the following one was Nightmare King’s turn. The Wyrm was bound to yell and scold his children for their latest mischief, but then again, he could never stay mad at them for too long.

  
You opened your eyes to find yourself sitting in Pure’s lap as they were caressing your hair as they always did back home. Their siblings were already up and about, Ghost and Grimmchild chasing the others in a game of tag and Hornet looking for their father. The two Higher Beings hadn’t arrived yet, but it was only a matter of time. Maybe it was because you spend so much time in the Dream, but you became somehow able to sense your mother and father’s presence whenever you were asleep and now you could tell that they were nearby, and one of them was furious.

“Children!”

Everyone turned around in time to see Pale King rush over to the little ones and pull them in the tightest hug he was capable off, his shoulders trembling from the burden of emotions which overcame him. They were alright. His babies were safe and sound.

“What on Earth…” he began as he let them go.

Aaaaaaannnd, here goes the screaming.

“WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING!? DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED WE WERE?!” his screaming was echoing through the realm, making the very ground you were on shake.

Well, none could blame him. you, yourself, were stupefied when you found the little ones in your backpack. Their parents must have felt a thousand times worse.

Nobody dared make a sound as the Wyrm unleashed his anger, scolding each one of them in particular, except for you, Pure and Grimmchild. By the time he was done, Radiance was already by your side, holding you to her chest in a warm embrace. You were happy to see her, but couldn’t stop the guilt from settling in. You should have paid more attention to your luggage before you left. Maybe then, you could have stopped this whole mess from happening.

“I’m sorry you had to go through this (Y/N). I thought my children were better behaved than this.” the King said disappointed and stared at the little bugs.

Even Hornet seemed a bit hurt by his words.

“It’s my fault too. I should have checked my backpack before I left. I’m sorry for the trouble.” you said, feeling bad for being treated as if you were the one who had the most to suffer.

“Even so, that doesn’t change what these 6 have done.” the King said, looking at them again. “Pure…” he sighed as he turned his attention to his oldest child.

They flinched, ready for their share of scolding, but instead, the Wyrm gently patted their mask.

“You are too kind hearted, my child. You must learn how to say no to your sister.”

Nobody could deny that. Pure was easily dragged in their siblings’ shenanigans, because they couldn’t say no or tell anyone else and risk getting them in trouble. They were too soft. To toughen them up a bit wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

“Alright, let’s get this over with. We didn’t come here to argue. We’re here to spend time with our daughter. Now, let’s do something fun.” Radiance said, clapping her wings.

The scenery which was nothing, but platforms surrounded by yellow clouds and glowing dreamcatchers of light, turned into an exact replica of the backyard from James’ home, covered in white, but without the cold air. There were two walls of snow with windows built in on the opposite sides of the garden, making you wonder what they were doing there.

“Ok, everyone!” Radiance began again and you could distinguish a note of mischievousness in her voice. She was up to something. “Pale King and I will pick the teams. Hope you’re ready to get snowed! I go first!”

“Wait! What!?” the Wyrm looked at the Moth confused. Obviously, he wasn’t aware of what was going to happen.

Nevertheless, he was not going to back down.

The teams were as follows: Pale King – Pure, Broken and Hornet, Radiance – You, Ghost and Grimmchild. Flower preferred to stand aside and keep the score, and so, the game began. Snow and fire balls were flying through the air, hitting however they could. As expected, Pure’s aim was on point, but they were mostly going for Ghost and the Moth, doing their best to avoid you. The Higher Beings were going at each other with all they had, fur and crown slowly covered in the soft, frozen water. Since you could barely hit Hornet, Ghost and Grimmchild took on the task of taking on their sister, while you were focusing on Broken and Pure.

The battle lasted all night long, and when morning came, you all looked at Flower and asked them who won, it turned out the little one was too absorbed by the game and forgot to keep the score. How were they supposed to do that anyway? Everyone stared at her in amazement and then busted out laughing. Who cared who won? At least, you had fun.

“Ok. Time to go. Good bye, mom, dad. See you next time.” You said hugging each Higher Being.

“Take care, sweetheart.”

“And you guys try to not cause trouble.” Pale King said to his children as they nodded in response.

  
You woke up feeling rested and happy, the little ones opening their eyes as well and stretching their limbs, Grimmchild letting out a soft mew as he yawned. Tonight, it was his grandfather’s turn and you couldn’t help but wander what he had in store. Knowing him, it was going to be something great, but until then. Time for some CryptTv.


	23. Nightmare night

May was still asleep when you got down from your bed, a book resting on the left side of her pillow. She must have been up all night reading again, a habit she had since she began high school. She was studying in a nearby town, taking the bus there and back. You couldn’t say you were disappointed as the teachers always used to call you by her name by mistake and constantly compared you to her. Not to your face, but behind your back which infuriated you even more. She was putting in more effort in her studies than you. That was a fact that you could do nothing but accept. She was more outgoing, friendlier to those around her, wishing for more. You were pleased with sitting in your corner and doing what you liked, listening to your music and not bothering anyone.

You changed quickly and motioned the bugs to sit still while you went to get some food as you took your phone and headed out. Walking into the hallway, you saw the lights in the kitchen on. Well, it was to be expected after all. It happened every year. She barely slept during this period.

Your mother was always overworking herself during holidays, cleaning the house five times over, and preparing enough food to feed an entire army. Trying to talk her out of it was useless. She always found some excuse or simply ignored you and your sisters. Your father did try as well, but that time of the year was busy for him too and so he was rarely home.

You knocked at the kitchen door and then opened it, praying not to hit her as you couldn’t hear anything from the other side. Thankfully, she was in the opposite corner of the room, washing the dishes and she didn’t even hear you.

“Good morning, mom.” you said, looking at the bags under her eyes.

There was an unbearable heat in the small kitchen, despite the open window. The oven must have been on all night again.

“What are you doing up so early?” she asked, surprised to see you.

“Early? It’s…” you looked at the time on your phone. “It’s 9a.m.”

“What?! Please go and wake up your father. He had to go and pick Rea up from the bus station one hour ago.” your mother said panicked.

You rushed to your parents’ bedroom to find it empty. Just as you returned to the kitchen, the front door opened and your eldest sister came in, dragging after her two large bags, no doubts, packed to the brim with clothes.

“Hey…”

“Shut up and come help me.” Rea snapped at you, tossing one of the bags at your feet. “There’s another one outside. Go and get it.” she continued, taking off her boots and heading straight to her room which was next to yours and May’s.

“Yeah. Nice to see you too.” you muttered under your breath and slightly opened the kitchen door to give your mother the news. “Rea’s home. Code red.”

Rea was not only the oldest of the three of you, but also the bossiest one. She always ordered you and May around, often making you do the chores she was tasked with, but she did help you out when needed. Lately, however, she became much moodier than before and one wrong word was enough to set her ablaze. Sometimes she was getting mad out of the blue even if no one did anything to anger her. Thankfully, there were signs which foretold when she was near her breaking point but discussing them in the open was risky as well. Therefore, you and May came up with a set of codes that would warn the others of the situation. Code blue – everything is ok, but it doesn’t hurt to mind your words. Code white – it’s ok as long as you don’t joke with her. Yeah. She didn’t have a sense of humor. Code red- she’s mad. Careful how you talk to her. Code black – run like your life depends on it, avoid her at all costs.

Judging how she talked to you at the door, it was definitely code red. Well, could have been worse.

You took the bag to Rea’s door, knocking before going in. No answer. You just left it there, having already done what she told you to. She never told you to get it inside her room. If she had a problem, then you had no trouble “talking” about it. You were ready to enter the kitchen again when you heard Rea scream sharply from behind her door and heard the word “bugs”. You went as white as a sheet of paper and without a second thought, you ran to her room, slamming the door in time to receive a pillow to the face. You ignored it and looked around the bundle of clothes laying on the floor – typical of her to have arrived home not even 5 minutes ago and to have already made a mess – and pillows that she kept on throwing.

Finally, you noticed Hornet leaping through the air just like Spiderman, using her thread and needle. You looked at her in horror, trying to calm your sister, before your mother came and give the Daughter of Hallownest time to escape. Too late. Your mother was already inside, vacuum cleaner in hand and ready to kill the intruder. Luckily, Hornet managed to get out of the room and out of their sight, but you weren’t as lucky. As soon as the spider was gone, Rea began to lay into you, screaming her lungs out for you and your mother to get out. You obliged, neither wanting to prolong the argument.

“What on Earth is going on?” May asked, coming out of the room, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“Rea’s home.” you simply said, and your sister nodded in understatement.

“Code black?”

“Yep. Excuse me.”

You passed by May and headed straight to your room, trying to not show the rage that began to seep into your mind. You closed the door behind you and went to your bed, where Ghost and Grimmchild were playing, Broken, Flower and Pure were sleeping again and Hornet was facing the wall, seemingly ashamed to look at you.

You didn’t want to shout and risk drawing the others attention. You didn’t even think you could. The feeling of betrayal was too strong.

“I…I hope you’re happy.” you said and went out of the room, leaving Ghost and Grimmchild confused.

As soon as (Y/N) left, the two bugs set to wake up their siblings, knowing full well that their sister did something again. She was sly, waiting for Pure to fall asleep before leaving, aware that Ghost was too preoccupied with taking care of the little rascal in their arms to stop or even follow her. Still, what could she have done to cause such a reaction from their other sister was beyond them.

Pure lazily opened their eyes and caressed their sibling’s mask, before stretching their numb limbs from sleep. Their moment of relaxation lasted little as Ghost began to explain to them what happened through the connection only, they shared, motioning to Hornet and the door in the process. As the story unfolded, the bug began to feel the void inside twist and swirl. Their father told them to stop being so kind, and even though it hurt to have to do this, they had too. For both of their sisters’ sake. They walked over to Hornet, carefully choosing their gestures, but before they could touch her, she spoke.

“I didn’t mean to cause trouble, you know. I-I’m really sorry.”

Tears were already flowing down her face and thus, Pure couldn’t bring themselves to say anything else. How could they add more to her sorrow? The kneeled by her side and hugged her tight, trying their best to comfort her. She grabbed their cape, the slight tremor of her shoulders becoming stronger by the minute as she let out more and more of her tears. Pure sighed, not knowing what to do now. They prayed that everything would be alright.

You peeled off some tangerines and then searched for some other fruits the little ones could eat. Shame and guilt were stinging your eyes as hot tears were fighting to come out. You had to apologize to Hornet, but how? Oh! Why did you have to be such an idiot? She didn’t do anything wrong, but you snapped at her like an idiot. It wasn’t her fault that she went out with each occasion that she had. You had your share of the blame as well. After being free to roam an entire house as they pleased, they were now confined to a small room, no, a bed. Of course, they must have felt constrained, maybe even claustrophobic.

“You ok?” Mary asked as she took a bottle of milk from the fridge.

You nodded and grabbed a bag of peaches, then excused yourself and went outside with the little one’s breakfast. You stopped midway, an idea crashing into your mind like a falling star. You returned to the kitchen and opened the door, just enough to peer your head inside and talk to May.

“Hey May! Can you do me a favor?” you asked, biting your lips in anticipation.

“What?” your sister asked, giving you an odd look.

It was rare for you to ask for favors, given how your sisters never did anything for free.

“Can you help mom, instead of me today? I have something that I need to do outside.” you asked, ready to accept whatever price she was going to ask for.

“Hm…” May pondered at your request.

Your tasks were the easiest ones, as you were the youngest and that year your mother went out of her way to have everything done before you came home. Something happened back at your uncle’s place that involved you and your mother wanted you to just relax and forget about it. What it was, your sister had no idea, but even so, that didn’t spare you the fee for her services.

“Ok. But in exchange I want that T-shirt you have on now.” she said in the end.

“Sure.” you answered, relieved that she asked for something so plain as a T-shirt. One more reason to thank Grimm for what he did with your wardrobe. “Do I give it to you now or…”

“Later. After you wash it of course. Now go before I…”

“Ok! Thanks!” you bolted it out of there, smiling widely at the plan developing in your mind.

You opened the door to your room, and got in, climbing the small ladder to your bed where you saw Pure holding a crying Hornet and suddenly, the guilt and shame returned. You slowly placed the food for the little ones on the covers and turned your attention to the princess and her sibling. They, too, noticed your presence but that only prompted her to burry her face into Pure’s chest which only made you feel worse.

“I…I’m sorry.” you finally managed to say, eyes locked on the movement of your fingers, unable to face them. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you… I’m really sorry.”

Hearing your words, Hornet looked at you, confused.

“You…you’re not mad at me?” she asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

“Mad?” You couldn’t help but look at her, just as confused, maybe even more. “Why should I be mad? Scared for your life? Yes. But mad? No. I never was.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah… I’m sorry for being mean to you. To all of you.” you repeated, your gaze falling upon all the children now. “And to make it up to you guys, I have something special in store for you. Finish eating first.”

You got down and headed to the closet, choosing another outfit for that day. You needed better clothes than those you currently had… and to wash your sister’s new T-shirt.

“What are you planning?” Hornet asked, taking a piece of tangerine Pure offered her.

“Outside, of course. I bet you guys are sick of being locked inside these four walls and since we’re in my home village I should show you around, right?” you smiled, and you could feel the little ones just brimming with excitement.

You were sitting on a stump, tongue out trying to catch as many snowflakes as possible. Your hair was already full of them and Flower and Broke kept on adding. Hornet was quietly watching the silver bees fly through the air, tired after a day of playing around. Pure and Ghost trying to bury an edgy Grimmchild in snow, both masks already black with ash.

The hill you were on was near your house, and offered a good view of the whole village, the woods giving off a nice, fantastical vibe. You looked at the children, smiling at Hornet especially. She spend all day climbing only one tree, the tallest one at that, and was still mad that she couldn’t reach the top before she got tired out.

“Don’t worry. We’ll come tomorrow too.” you told her, patting her head with one of your fingers.

“Only tomorrow?” she asked with a smug look in her eyes.

“And the day after too. Every day for an entire two weeks.”

“Alright.” the princess smiled, warming your heart.

“Ok. I guess we need to go home. We need to prepare for Grandpa after all.”

You scooped up the children and placed them in the pockets of your coat, humming all the way home, preparing yourself for what was about to come.

You were shaking with fear, the darkness of the night frightening you beyond words. Don’t turn around. Whatever you do, don’t look. The monster was there. You could feel him coming closer, hear his growling voice. Why did you have to watch that one out of all the movies?! It was there, his cold breath right behind your neck. You squeezed your eyes shut, thinking of only one thing.

“Grandpa.” you whimpered softly waiting for the blow.

“I’m here, my darling.”

You could feel his long, warm fingers caressing your cheek and wiping away your tears. You opened your eyes to look at him, the scarlet orbs offering the comfort you so needed. Without a second thought, you wrapped your arms around him, the silence being more than enough. You felt like a young baby again, longing for your parents’ protective arms. And you had them.

The monster was gone, and you were back in the garden you so loved, wearing a fancy dress and surrounded by your grandfather’s warmth. Near you, Grimm was trying not to say anything, but you could see the irritation on his face, eyes starring daggers at the Pale King’s child and his own offspring. Oh! He was still mad.

“Ignore him, my dear children. He woke up on the wrong side of the ceiling. Again.” Nightmare King said, giving his son a bored look.

“Excuse me?” the Troupe Master replied, and you could see one of his eyes twitching. “Y-you…WEREN’T YOU WORRIED ABOUT THEM AT ALL?!” he yelled at his father, throwing burning fists into the air.

“Huh? No. Why should I? I trust (Y/N) after all.” he said nonchalantly, but his words were enough to stop Grimm from his rage and make him stare at his parents, mouth agape.

“Y-You knew?” he said in the end, still dumbfounded.

“Of course, I did. Who do think I am?”

“And you didn’t tell me anything?! Even as I was about to die here from worries?!”

“Well… it was pretty funny to watch.” the Nightmare King said, smiling like a child who was just caught doing something bad, but they didn’t care, satisfied with their deed.

Grimm was about to explode, filled with anger at his father when you decided to intervene, getting up from the Scarlet One’s embrace and jumping into his, pressing your cheek against his chest.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.” you sincerely apologized, hoping to avert his fury to you, knowing that he wouldn’t harm you.

Your hopes came true, feeling Grimm’s anger fade away and he placed a hand on your head, caressing your hair.

“Don’t worry, my dear. It’s not your fault. This crazy old man is the only one to blame!” he said pointing a finger to his father.

“O-OLD?!”

“Old and dumb!”

“Is that how you talk to your father?!”

“No! That’s how I talk to irresponsible babies!”

“What sort of example are you setting for your child?!”

“Don’t bring my child into this!”

They continued to argue, you still hugging the Troupe Master, amazed at how goofy Grandpa was. He may have played angry, but his voice betrayed the amusement he drew from this conversation. You began to feel sorry for Grimm, seeing what he had to deal with, but also… you wanted to laugh as well.

“Enough of this!” Nightmare King replied, clapping his hands and making Grimmkin appear all around. “We came to have fun and that’s what we’re going to do. Grimm, you are the Troupe Master. Show us you’re worthy of the role!” he added, taking you away from him and leading you and the other children to a set of chairs which offered the best view to the show.

Grimm got in his role quickly and he didn’t disappoint one bit.

Another morning, another goodbye. No matter. When night comes, they will come again and the fun will begin once more.


	24. Family reunion. Part 1. Those whom I miss

The church program ended up surprisingly quickly, shortly after the small presentation of the children ended. Every year it was the same scene being played, but always viewed from a different angle or with new lines added. It was certainly nice to watch and listen to their songs. As the show began, you recalled the years when you too participated.

Truth be told, you were never a fan of getting on stage and performing in front of an audience, despite having great respect for the art of theatre even before you met Grimm and his troupe. It was the stress and the constant scolding for not getting the notes perfect enough from the teachers that killed it for you. The performances were also pretty dull, and the children lacked the emotions required by the roles they were playing. You recalled the time when two boys had to act as two angels, Gabriel and Tymon. As the first angel was about to leave and inform Maria of her pregnancy, the later begged him to take him along, but was refused as he had another task to be bestowed upon him. The little boy playing Tymon had no future in theatre that was for sure. There was no genuine emotion in his lines, all of them being delivered with a somewhat forced tone of begging and his body language betrayed boredom and the desire to be anywhere else but there.

Granted, you were no film director but to witness such an afront to a beautiful art as acting was hard to bear. Did that boy never beg him parents for anything? Could he not recall the feeling of wanting something so much one was willing to do anything to get it? Had he never experienced such desires? You wanted to go and begin coordinating the whole thing, but you knew you wouldn’t be allowed too. The teachers didn’t have faith in the children when it came to act for obvious reasons and thus, they had to make do with a somewhat low performance, lacking in the feelings and power the play required. To require more than it was possible would only make the little rascals who were already complaining about the whole thing even more troublesome. And just like that you had to bite your lips looking at the scene that could have been so much more wonderful if only more emotions were put into it.

While acting was pardoned because of the lack of talent, the songs had to be perfect. No mistakes admitted. The worst part? They always picked the hardest carols to sing in the context when most of you only sang during church and had no other preparation or skill for music. Those were the times you disliked most from the whole show. Complaining got you nowhere. Just shut up and do as told.

You were honestly glad to be rid of having to participate in these shows given how you were living in another town now and couldn’t come to the rehearsals at all, but you still enjoyed watching them. The teachers had stopped trying to do anything too extravagant, opting for something simple yet well at the children’s level as there weren’t too many teenagers or 12-years old left in the Sunday school, but a bunch of preschoolers. Good for them. There was beauty even in the simplest of things.

Pure and Ghost enjoyed the show as well, while Hornet was constantly shifting in your lap, eager to start exploring the church and see what every room had to offer. Grimmchild was sleeping, perched between his friend’s horns, Broken and Flower munching on some tangerines you brought along. You were sitting in the last row from the balcony, where there were fewer people, much to your surprise. Given that it was the children’s special day, you were expecting the rows too be almost full just like the previous years. Well, that meant you could relax and allow the little bugs to watch the program in peace, without fearing being disturbed or seen by someone. Still, that didn’t ease you enough to let the princess run around as she pleased. Oh, no. Not in a million years.

You were on your way to one of your aunt’s houses where the family gathering was held, right after church ended. Your family went home to change the Sunday clothes even though neither you or your sisters wanted to go, and the children refused to be left home alone. However, refusal wasn’t an option for anyone. Not even your mother who made it clear that she didn’t want to go but your father insisted and so she had no other choice. Your sisters were each absorbed by their own phones and paid no attention to the slight movement in your muffler. Grimmchild and Ghost were hiding in your hair, watching the scenery move around you. Hornet was held by Pure tight so that she wouldn’t run around while Broken and Flower were sleeping peacefully in the soft wool of the muffler. You tried not to move and disturb them, while also praying that nobody would notice the little bugs. You hoped that everything will be fine, and nobody will notice the little creatures… and that Hornet will stay put but given how trouble loved to show itself when you least wanted it to, you could bet that day will be a living nightmare, no offense to Grandpa.

“We’re here.” your father announced as he pulled into Sarah’s, your aunt, driveway.

Her home was small, but large, enough to fit all of your relatives inside. It had two floors, with the living room, where the main party was being held, the parent’s bedroom and the kitchen on the ground floor and the bedrooms of the children and a bathroom on the second. You knew every corner of that house after having to spend each holiday there. No other relative ever offered to host the family reunion, all of them having their own excuses why they were unable to do it. Aunt Sarah didn’t seem to mind it though. Well, that worked out for you too, now, as you were thinking of a good place to hide in until the time you had to go home.

You followed your father inside, feeling the bugs’ feet tickle your neck. You tried to wipe the smile caused by them away, but that was harder than you thought. You pulled your muffler above your nose, careful not to disturb the little ones. Once inside, you were welcomed by Sarah who hugged you so tight, you fought to breathe after she let go of you.

“Sebastian! It’s been so long! Your daughters have grown up so much!” she said looking over at you and your sisters who were not spared the bear hug either.

“I’m glad to see you too, Sarah. How have you been?”

The two siblings continued to talk as they were walking towards the living room, where the sound of Christmas carols was barely heard over the loud voices of your uncles and aunts. You decided to go outside in the garden, knowing full well that your younger cousins wouldn’t be allowed there on such a weather, even if the sky was clear. Thank God, these mothers were too scared of the cold to let their offspring outside. You were about to excuse yourself when you heard it, that voice which haunted you in your worst nightmares, one that made even the devil stop in his tracks and run in the opposite direction.

To your surprise, you felt your mother stiffen up as well. She threw a menacing glance towards the living room as the steps began to be heard, coming closer to where you two were. Once in the hallway, Camelia’s smile turned sour, her eyes shooting daggers at you.

Yeah. You already wanted to go home.

The two of you stared at each other, the disgust evident to anyone who was still sober enough to have a clear mind. Obviously, aunt Felicia, the wife of another uncle who had been chatting with Camelia until then, an empty glass of martini with olives in her hand, was not among those people, as she was already tipsy. She looked at both of you, her eyes sparkling and confused.

“Anything wrong sweethearts?” she asked and then, as if waking up from a trance, she took your hand and pulled you closer to that woman. “Cammy, have you met (Y/N) already? Poor dearie had an accident last year…”

“I know her.” Camelia replied with a harsh tone. “She’s the most undisciplined brat I ever met.”

“Ex-” you began feeling your face burn from anger, but your mother cut you off, your rage nothing compared to her.

“Say one more thing about my daughter and I’ll smash your face with a hammer.”

Her words were full of venom, and knowing her, you had no doubt she was capable of something like that. Camelia backed off, evidently scared by your mother, but her gaze was still locked on you. Felicia didn’t seem to notice anything apart from the empty glass in her hand.

“Ok. Time for another round. Let’s go and make ourselves comfortable.” she said wrapping her arms around her sisters-in-laws’ and heading back to the living room where the fun kept going. “Girls, dinner will be served soon. Make sure to be there. The chicken is to die for!” she announced to you and your sisters.

You wanted to go straight outside, the thought of being under the same roof as that woman making the blood boil in your veins. And you weren’t the only one. Pure was doing their best to keep Ghost and Grimmchild from jumping at that woman, despite the fact that they too wanted nothing more but to shut her mouth forever. How dare she call their sister undisciplined? For once, Hornet controlled herself and lend a helping hand with Broken and Flower, aware that any wrong move might have dire consequences upon you. Clenching her fists, she held back the urge to slice her face and wipe that smile of it forever.

Still, there was one thing you had to make absolutely sure of. The chance for him to be there was so slim, almost nonexistent, but you still wanted to check.

You entered the living room, looking after James, studying each face, trying to see his well-known Victorian-styled clothes, but in vain. He wasn’t anywhere. You sighed disappointed, when you felt a hand on your shoulder. You turned to see Felicia’s husband, Troy, giving you a large grin and asking you how you’ve been doing. He was reeking of alcohol and cheap beer, barely able to stand straight. Fortunately, he was one of those people who got merrier the drunker they were.

“Hey uncle. Good. What about you?” you said, deciding to try something.

“Ver happy! Why are you still dressed? Take out of your coat! Loosen up!”

“Yeah, yeah. Hey, can I ask you something?”

“As long as it’s not money, sure!” he said laughing as loudly as he could as his own joke. 

Out of politeness, you cracked up a smile, but were unable to fake it more than that.

“So, what is it?” he asked once he stopped laughing, small tears still hanging at the corners of his eyes.

“I want to know where James is.”

The moment the question left your lips, Troy’s entire atmosphere changed. His smile disappeared and while he wasn’t dark and gloomy as one would expect, he was far from happy too.

“Where did you hear about him?” he asked, and you could feel a tone of wariness in his voice.

“I live with him. I’ve been doing so ever since I began high school.”

“Don’t take after him, kid. He’s a weirdo. Nothing good comes from hanging around with them. You saw what others do to those who are different.”

Hearing this, you instinctively covered your stomach, feeling the scar’s presence more than ever.

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson.” he said and left you alone.

You rushed outside, your face burning again with fury. How dare he speak about James like that? So what if he wasn’t like the rest? He was the greatest guy you ever knew, way better than any of them.

Once you were in the cold air of the backyard, as far from the house as you could get, you let out your tears, regretting not being able to release the scream stuck in your throat. The children came out trying to comfort you, Grimmchild playfully chewing on the tip of your nose, causing your skin to tickle. You smiled, touched by their love and wiped your tears away.

“Thank you, guys. I really needed that.”

“Hey. This is what family is for.” Hornet said, gently punching your cheek, Pure nodding in agreement.

“Ok. Let’s see how our parents are doing then.”

You took out your phone and dialed James’ number. When he picked up, you heard the sound of Vivaldi playing in the background, together with all those voices that you didn’t realize how much you missed until then.

“Hey, (Y/N)! How are you doing?” James’ asked, his voice sounding happy and relaxed. “W-Wait, Radiance! Grimm, not you too!”

“Put me on the speaker. I want to hear everyone.”

“Ok. That seems like a good idea. Just a sec…Now.”

“Hi, my dear! How are you?” Radiance asked, and you wished to see her so much at that moment. That night was her turn to come visit, fortunately.

“I’m fine, mom. How are you and everyone else?”

“We’re fine, child.” Pale King answered this time. “I hope the children are behaving today.”

“Yes, they are.” you laughed, seeing Hornet scoff at her parent’s words.

“I hope my child hadn’t caused any trouble either.” The Troupe Master joined the discussion and at the sound of his voice, the baby landed on the phone, rubbing his head on the flat, glowing surface letting out soft purrs. Your heart broke seeing the poor, little one miss his father so.

“He’s been an angel.” you said, trying to calm the tremor of your voice as Ghost went to pick up their dear friend. “What are you guys doing?”

“Watching James get beaten up at chess.” Radiance answered, followed by other bugs’ laugh.

“Hey…I still have a chance.” your uncle murmured loud enough for you to hear.

“No. I’m sorry. Check mate.”

Everyone busted out laughing when Pale King made the last move, defeating James completely.

“Ok. Time to end this call, before you guys humiliate me further.” your uncle said, ignoring the booing he received in return.

“Ok. I’ll see you later mom, dad.” you said to the two Higher Beings.

“See you later, our dear.”

“Take care.”

Radiance and Pale King told you before the call was ended. Grimmchild was softly whimpering in Ghost’s arms, longing to feel his father’s warmth.

“I miss them too, little one. I miss them too.”


	25. Family reunion. Part 2. The desire to protect

The dinner table was noisy with your relatives’ conversations, words being thrown from one end of the room to the other. The food was delicious, but the yearning in your heart was strong enough to turn even your favorite meals sour. The carols began to annoy you, the lyrics distorted by the voices of your relatives feeling like nails on a blackboard. The children were down there too, with that woman’s brat being the loudest of them all, screaming for no reason. You had to wonder what on Earth he was feed with back home to have such strength. Granted, he could make a good singer one day with that lung capacity. However, none of the adults cared to say anything to quiet him down, some almost drunk, while others, like your father who albeit sober, simply didn’t care.

You looked at your mother and Camelia who were staring daggers at each other. Who’s bright idea was to sit them together? Your mother took you by a complete surprise when she threatened that woman at the doorway. She had her moments like that, especially after the accident.

You felt movement in your muffler, which you refused to take off despite everyone’s insistences. You peeked down to see Broken and Flower trying to get out and take a look at what could cause so much noise, Hornet covering her ears and Pure trying to soothe Ghost and Grimmchild to sleep, but the screaming didn’t work in their favor.

“Are you ok, dear? You’re sort of pale.” your mother asked all of the sudden distracting you from the little ones.

She got up from her seat and came to you. She pressed the back of her hand on your forehead, concern written all over her face.

“You’re so cold. Sebastian!”

“What?” your father answered, interrupting his conversation with his cousin.

“Let’s go home. (Y/N) is cold as ice. I think she’s getting sick.”

Now that she mentioned that, you did feel a tad strange. However, you thought the headache was due to that devil’s spawn screeching. 

“No! You can stay.” Sarah interfered and then she turned to you. “(Y/N) go to the bedroom to get some rest. You’ll feel better afterwards.”

“No. I think I want to go home.” you said, beginning to feel a tad dizzy.

“It’s ok, Felicia. I’ll take her and Norah home and then I come back. May, Rea, behave in the meantime, ok?”

“No guys. I’ll give (Y/N) some medicine and after she rests, she’ll be fine. I guarantee you. (Y/N) go to the bedroom. You know where it is, right?” Sarah continued. “We only see each other once a year, Norah. It would be cruel to leave now, when the party is not nearly over.”

You obliged, glad to get away from all that noise, even if your mother wasn’t pleased at all with it and honestly, neither were you. Still, your family owned Sarah from a time when she helped your father out with something and apparently, that debt could only be repaid by coming to these stupid reunions.

You went to the bedroom after taking the medicine your aunt gave you and laid on the bed on your side and with your back against the door, thankful for the warmth and the quiet. Since you were alone, you let the little ones come out and roam around. Pure laid by your side with their siblings sleeping in their arms, finally able to, now that the noise was gone. Flower and Broken were looking at the pictures on your aunt’s dresser, at the faces smiling in front of the camera. Hornet went to the window and stared at the snow, feeling a bit homesick. She missed her mother, just like you missed the rest, but to go home now was impossible.

“It’s going to be ok. Time will pass by fast.” you said, half-opened eyes looking at the young bug.

Hornet turned to look at you, and nodded, thankful for your attempt at comforting her.

The silence was comforting for you guys, a welcomed break from the chaos behind that door. Of course it had to end and not in a nice way.

Suddenly, the door was slammed so hard it crashed against the closet nearby with a loud thud and a great weight landed on you, knocking the air out of you, followed by someone punching you. You got up quickly, holding Pure and the other children gently in one hand, hiding them from view with the other.

That woman’s brat was there, screeching again as loud as he could and beginning to jump on the bed, seeing how you didn’t want to be his punching bag anymore.

“Get out of here!” you yelled at him, feeling the rest of the children climb on your back and into your muffler.

“NOOO! MOMMY SAID I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!” he screamed, and you rue the bees not being there.

Oh! How the soldiers would love to sink their stingers into his skin and shut him up! 

Well, so much for your peace and quiet.

After Pure teleported with the children in your muffler as well, something that took you by surprise the first time it happened, you tried to get out of the room, and head back outside. Cold be darned, you’d rather freeze to death than put up with this brat. However, in the doorway stood no other than Camelia, a smug look on her face.

“Move.” you said in the meanest tone you could muster yet also somehow polite.

You didn’t want to cause a scene here. Not now.

“No. You’re not doing anything anyway so you can watch after my son.” she said looking you straight in the eyes.

“There are plenty of children here. Why can’t he play with them?” you asked, feeling the blood go to your head.

“MOMMY! SHE’S HIDING SOMETHING! I SAW IT!” the brat yelled again.

You froze. If these jerks think they can lay even one finger on the little ones than there was going to be blood.

“What are you hiding? Show me.” Camelia reached out an opened palm, demanding you to hand over whatever you had.

“None of your business. Now move.” you repeated and tried to push past her.

The woman scoffed at your lack of obedience. She obviously wasn’t used to someone standing up to her. Well, too bad for her that you were a complete jerk who refused to give in, especially now when you had something to protect. Suddenly, an evil sparkle shone in her eyes.

“No wonder you are so unmannered. Your mother is no better after all. The apple doesn’t fall back from the tree as they say.” she said mockingly.

You were about to snap. Yes, your mother wasn’t the greatest of them all. She had her flaws, letting what others said and thought was better taking over her thus hardly listening to you. But she was trying! She was doing her best to fix past mistakes despite her illness. Yes, she had some problems. Anyone with a functional brain could see that. But she was going way and beyond to fix that. To hear this poor excuse of a human being who couldn’t even teach her son not to scream all the time bad mouth her was making every fiber in your body want to lunch at her with full force.

You were ready to tear her a new one, when suddenly, she fell on the floor, completely unconscious. You stared at her astounded and for once, the brat stopped jumping and screaming like a monkey, before he made a smart decision and ran outside, yelling for help. Knowing that it will look really bad for you if you just left her there, on the ground, you wanted to at least drag her on the bed, but the moment you bend down to touch her, you felt a sharp pain in your wrist. You looked to see the bracelet Grandpa gave you, shining bright red, an incredible heat emanating from it, nearly burning your skin.

Oh, no! This was not good.

Camelia opened her eyes, her head throbbing like a drum. She found herself in a dark crimson room, resembling her sister-in-law’s bedroom but taken out straight from a horror film. Weird, fabric veins were laid all over the floor, all leading under the bed on which now laid her son’s corpse with blood dripping from his mouth and a white mask with two pointy horns covering his eyes and nose. The ceiling looked like that of a cave, sharp stalagmites ready to fall any second now. There were scary noises, a maddening laughter, growls of beasts, resounding in the background.

She didn’t want to stay there one second longer. She turned around to leave only to bump into a strange, tall devil-like creature wearing a long, crimson cape, his eyes so big and red, burning like violent torches with hatred towards the woman in front of him. Camelia wanted to scream, but the fear paralyzed her already, no sound escaping her lips. She was as good as dead.

Nightmare King could hardly hold himself back from sinking his claws into that woman’s throat. He wanted to tear her apart, to burn her alive. She had been causing nothing but sorrow to his family ever since she came around. To get rid of her here and now would have been a true blessing. But he had to resist the urge. His granddaughter might get in trouble if he acted rashly and he didn’t want that. However, to just stand back and watch, listen to his grandchildren crying, begging for help… no! He won’t tolerate that any longer!

He bend down to meet that woman’s face, the horrified expression she had not even enough to satiate the flames of rage burning inside him.

“Listen here, you, worthless piece of flesh.” he said through clenched teeth. “You’ve been a thorn in my side ever since you made your pathetic appearance, causing trouble for my family and I believe I’ve tolerated you enough. If you have an ounce of brain in that head of yours and care for your child, I suggest you NEVER come anywhere close to those dear to me. If you don’t heed my warning, I’ll make sure to torment you for the rest of your miserable life. Take a good look at the corpse behind you, for I will not hesitate to turn it to reality should you get on my nerves any longer. Are we clear?!”

Camelia only nodded, to afraid to speak one word. How was (Y/N) related to this monster? W-What was going on with this family?! No. This must be that weirdo’s fault. James. The entire family hated him, calling him a pagan. Now she understood very well why.

“Good.” the King said and turned around, continuing to speak. “You will wake up now and if you speak to anyone about our conversation, know that my wrath shall be forever placed upon you.” 

He snapped his fingers, and the scenery turned back to the garden where he and (Y/N) spend their evenings when he took her to visit him. The woman was gone, released from his spell. Now, unless she was a complete full, she would never touch his granddaughter again. The Scarlet Monarch looked at the sky, hoping that his action wouldn’t cause any trouble for (Y/N). This has been reckless, too reckless. Even for him. But what else was there to do? He hear the Grimmchild cry in fear, begging for someone to interfere before things got too far. Was he supposed to just stand around and do nothing? That was out of the question. 

Grimm’s heavy gasps for air pulled the King back to his realm. He rushed to his son who was drained after casting such a strong spell. The distance, the fact that they barely knew anything about that woman outside her huge ego only hardened the process of trapping her into the nightmare. (Y/N) wasn’t like that. The scar, the memory of the accident birthed a flame that they could always use to bring her in their realm.

The Scarlet One kneeled next to his child and hugged him, letting his warmth offer comfort and strengthen the Troupe Master.

“You bluffed.” Grimm said, when his breath became steadier.

“Pardon?”

“The child. You won’t hurt him, right?” Grimm asked again, looking his father in the eyes.

“Of course, I did. I wanted to scare her as much as possible. I would never hurt a child, no matter how bad behaved they are.”

True. Nightmare King had a soft spot for children. He didn’t blame the boy for his behavior. He had a horrible mother to begin with so why should he be help accountable for what he was being taught? He wished he could reach out to him and teach him better. He would definitely do something about that screaming, no questions asked.

“Do you think it will be ok?” Grimm asked again.

“…No… I’m afraid it won’t.”

The ride home was silent, nobody knowing what to say. Soon after Camelia woke up, as soon as she saw you, she began screaming and freaking out like crazy, nobody able to calm her down and get a coherent sentence out of her. Everyone asked what happened, but they didn’t believe you when you told them that she simply collapsed. They were sure you did something. Why else would she be so scared of you?

Your parents apologized for the whole deal and left, deciding that that was the best course of action. You didn’t complain, happy to be out of there. During the whole ride, you stared at the red mark left by the bracelet. It wasn’t glowing now, but what was done was done. You couldn’t change thing anymore, only hope for the best.

Once home, while your sisters were going to bed, you were sitting in the kitchen with your parents, ready to be scolded again, even punished. The children refused to go and leave you alone. If you were going though hard times, then they would be there to support you.

Your father was the first to talk, his voice stern and cold.

“What did you do? And don’t even think about lying to me.”

You pondered your words. What could you say. “Well, there’s this powerful creature called the Nightmare King and his son adopted me as his daughter and they must have trapped Camelia in a nightmare to have a little chat with her, because they had enough of her bull poop.” Yeah. You said that and the next thing you knew, you were in a white jacket, with doctors asking all sort of questions. No.

“I punched her.” you lied. It was what they wanted to hear, after all. It was the easy way out.

“Why?” your father asked.

“Because she bad talked mother.” truth.

“And you thought that was the right thing to do?”

“Sebastian.” your mother interfered.

“What? Are you happy with what she did? Are you saying that it’s ok for her to go and punch whoever she wants?”

“No! But…”

“No buts, Norah! If this was your family you wouldn’t try to protect her, right? You never cared about them.”

They began to argue again, always the same reasons, an eternal merry-go-round. You forced yourself out of there, focusing your mind anywhere else but there. Yellow tints began to appear at the corners of your vision, dreamcatchers and clouds filling the room. The angry voices were disappearing and now you could only hear Radiances soft whispers, telling you that everything will be alright. Before you knew it, you were crying in her arms.


	26. The boy and the hydra

Radiance, Pale King and Grimm were sitting in silence as James was processing the news. He…he wasn’t sure how to react. What Nightmare King did was stupid beyond belief, though he couldn’t blame it. He would have reacted the same way if he was in his place. However, the situation wasn’t looking favorable at all. He was already not well-liked by his family, old mistakes that he still had to pay for.

The man got up from his seat, too anxious to sit down anymore. He traversed the short distance from his desk to the window and looked at the scenery outside. His office was facing the backyard, all covered in white, with the fir trees with their leaves still on and green, wrapped in a shining, silver layers. It had snowed so much these last few days; the children couldn’t go out anymore and he had no time to go and shovel up the place. It was merely 9 am, yet the sun refused to show up, an eerie darkness filling the sky. The world seemed so peaceful, deep into a sweet slumber. Oh! If only he could indulge in that tranquility too, forget all the problems that haunted him every day and let loose. But life was not that easy. For every smile, for every laughter, it demanded tears and sorrow to balance things out.

Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten involved. Maybe he should have just watched from the side, just like his friends advised him too. They warned him that one couldn’t walk on both sides of the veil, to live surrounded by both humans and the supernatural. Did he listen? Of course, he didn’t. That loneliness, that desire to be accepted by those who shared the same blood as him. It drove him to trying to once again mend the bonds that were broken once, as a result of his own recklessness.

He asked two wind fairies to look for his family whom he hadn’t heard from in a very long time while he was helping the bugs move into his house. They returned with pleasing news: everyone was alright, most of them already had families, all was good, except for one thing. They told him of (Y/N), a girl so strange nobody liked, dreaming with open eyes all the time, seeking no companionship from her peers who knew only to bully her relentlessly. As they were talking, James was more and more baffled by his niece. She liked the supernatural, just like him, but she was far less reckless than he had been in his younger years. She liked to ask about legends, read about the creatures lurking in the dark, but she had enough brains to not seek their lairs and disturb the unknown from its peace. She was far smarter than he had been.

A memory that still haunted him, poof of his foolishness. He recalled the days of his childhood, living in a small village known for the numerous caves around. Legends of spirits and magical creatures residing in them filled his raw mind and he refused to believe that the fantasy was fake, a lie made up to scare bad children into obedience. There was one tale that fascinated him in particular. It was the story of an ogre living in the Two Mouthed Cave, a grotto where during summer heat the air was cold and pleasant, alleviating the suffocating warmth, while during winter’s chilling winds, it was just as warm as the fire in a chimney. The dragon was said to have taken shelter in that cave, deep within its bowels, where none could reach it, tired of being picked on for its small size. There, it entered a deep slumber in which it remained trapped ever since.

One day, while having to look after his younger sister and after he got sick of being picked on by the other boys for his love of fantasy, he decided to prove them all wrong. He will go into the cavern and bring back one of the dragon’s scales or maybe even better, the skin it had shed after molting. Dragons were like reptiles, right? Many compared them to geckos which did molt, so why wouldn’t theses beasts do that as well. For the young boy, such an idea only made sense. Dreaming of the praise, eyes blinded by ideas of adoration and respect from his peers, he rushed into the grotto, dragging his little sister after him. The dragon was asleep after all, what was there to worry about? Oh, if only he knew.

For hours, the two children wandered through the cave, the little girl giggling as she bathed in the soft breeze and danced in the shallow puddle of water in the main chamber of the cavern, while her brother was frantically looking around for a tunnel, a way, anything that could lead him to the dragon’s lair. He was about to give up, when he felt a current of air coming from behind one of the rocks. He approached it and found a small opening, just large enough for him to crawl through. Smiling, he called out to his sister and ventured deeper into the bowels of the earth.

They walked for hours, the little girl, mad that she had her fun interrupted, began to complain to her older brother as loud as she could.

“Shut up, already!” James snapped at his younger sister, Cecilia.

“Nooo! I want to go home!” she screamed even louder.

“We will go as soon as I get the dragon’s scale.” the boy replied, looking ahead and hoping to see the end of the tunnel. Just his luck. A few meters ahead, he could see a dull light. They were close.

“Dragons are bad! I want to go home!” Cecilia yelled once more, annoyed with her brother’s ambition.

James didn’t listen to her anymore. He could already see himself presenting the scale to his father and mother, the amazement in their eyes. They will surely praise him, admiring his bravery, saying how they should have never doubted him, apologizing for all the punishments he had to endure because of his love for fantasy. He rushed ti the opening and what he saw left him speechless.

In front of him was an enormous chamber, rivers of water falling into the large pond in the middle of it, one so deep, the boy couldn’t see the bottom. He approached the shore, a sense of dread spreading through his body. The long-awaited dragon was nowhere to be seen above the surface. Did that mean it was sleeping underwater? That was a possibility. James was ready to jump into the pond and explore, he was a pretty good swimmer back then, when his sister came behind him and began screaming once more, about wanting to go home. Tired of her complaining, the boy turned to the little girl and began screaming even louder, unaware of the beast he was disturbing.

“I’m tired of you! If you want to go home just go already!”

“No! Mommy said we have to stick together!” Cecilia screamed louder, tears gathering in her eyes. She hated that place, the darkness scaring her more than her brother’s fury. She wanted to get out.

Her eyes were darting through the chamber, looking anywhere but at her sibling’s face. That was when she saw them. Three pairs of eyes, a sickly yellow coloring the orbs, watching them from beneath the surface, getting closer to the children. Cecilia couldn’t make another sound, her voice refusing to leave the safety of her throat.

James noticed his little sister’s fright, and he turned around, curious and grateful to whatever managed to shut her up. His gratitude, however, soon turned to fear when he saw the beast raising from the depts. That was no dragon. At least, not the one he was looking for. A water hydra with 3 heads, scales black as the dead of night shining like obsidian under the dull light. It wasn’t very big, but its monstrous appearance was enough to freeze the children in place.

James couldn’t move, mesmerized and scared at the same time by the creature, overjoyed to see it was real. It may not have been the dragon he was expecting, but it was still a fantastic being. Despite the danger, he reached out a hand to touch one of the heads. The hydra didn’t seem bothered by this, rather calm. It appeared to be comfortable with humans in its lair, and leaned in further, willing to welcome the boy’s touch. But the moment the two were about to make contact, Cecilia’s voice returned, and the girl let out a ear deafening scream, startling both, the monster and her brother. The boy turned around, scared and agitated, trying to shut his sister up, before something bad happened. Too late.

Furious and startled, the hydra let out a sharp hiss, and with its mouths opened wide, lunged at the yelling girl, its intentions more than clear. James managed to push her out of the way in the nick of time, but one of the heads, still managed to scratch her arm with its fangs, leaving a deep, long slash on her pale skin. Blood was gushing from the wound, its scent inciting the creature more together with the girl whimpers. All the calm and somewhat friendly air it had earlier washed away and in its place was now nothing but hunger.

The boy cussed, not knowing what to do. He was just a child. There was no way he could fight that monster. He didn’t even have a weapon! He didn’t think about anything like this happening. No. He didn’t think at all. He thought it would be easy. He would just come here, take the scale and get out. Now he realized how foolish he was.

Just as the hydra was ready to attack again, a lit torch came out of nowhere, crashing against one of its heads, sending it into a panic followed by a male voice.

“Leave the kids alone!” it screamed.

Soon, a tall figure, clothed in black garments, came to the young ones, a pair of blue eyes peering through the mask the stranger was wearing. 

“Are you ok? Can you walk?” he asked them, and James nodded, his sister too busy crying and screaming.

“Good. Get out of here. I’ll keep Ace busy.” the man said and helped the boy get up, keeping a close eye on the hydra who was now looking at them again, its gaze burning with fury. “Don’t give me that look, you, stinking snake. I thought I got it through your head not to eat humans. Didn’t Harold teach you anything?” the man continued to talk to the monster as if it was a mischievous pet, not a killer being.

James would have liked to stay and question him, but Cecilia’s crying forced him to suppress his own curiosity and rush to the exit. He was walking slowly, having to carry his younger sister, his mind spinning around, trying to wrap itself around the past events. Who was that man? How did he know the hydra? Did he just call it Ace? He mentioned someone named Harold. Wasn’t that the old man living at the edge of the village, all alone? The one who dies last month? What was going on? As the questions multiplied, the boy’s frustration only grew more and more. If it wasn’t for his sister… if she hadn’t screamed. He could have touched the creature. His greatest dream so close to becoming reality, ruined because of her inability to shut up.

“You ok, little fella? Need help?”

James turned around to see the man who helped them. He was carrying another torch, and he took of his mask, revealing a clumsily shaved face, with slight cuts here and there on his cheeks, a crooked nose and a mess of brown hair falling over his shoulders which clearly needed a haircut. He seemed to be in his late 30’s, judging by his looks.

“I’m ok.” James said, not wanting to appear weak in front of that man.

He just went face to face with a hydra. He earned the little boy’s respect and James wanted to impress him as well.

“What on Earth were you doing there? Have you gotten lost? Where are your parents?” the man asked, his tone becoming sterner as he spoke.

“I came because I wanted to see the dragon, sir.” the boy answered.

The gravity of his actions had not yet downed upon him, despite his sister’s wound. Cecilia was asleep now, the loss of blood causing her to lose consciousness.

“Lay your sister on the ground. I need to treat her wound.” the man asked, remembering about the little girl’s injury.

Ace’s fangs weren’t venomous. Harold said that was why the hydra had to be separated from its family. Those creatures’ predators had no mercy upon the weak, and if left alone, the baby would have died long ago, eaten by some griffin or worse, becoming some warlock’s suit. Still, that didn’t mean he could relax. After James set Cecilia on the cold ground, the man began to clean the cut the best he could under the torch’s light. He always had a first aid kit in his possession. Year in his profession, dealing with the supernatural taught him to always be prepared.

As his sister’s arm was being bandaged, James couldn’t hold back his curiosity anymore.

“Who are you? What do you know about the hydra? Were you the one who named it? Are there more? If those exist then werewolves are real too, right? Are there others like you? Are you human?”

The questions poured out of the little boy, fueled by innocent curiosity. Despite the gravity of the situation, his enthusiasm earned a chuckle from the stranger.

“Slow down, champ. Name’s Olaf Myrtles and I’m human, born and raised in good old Ireland. My friend, Harold, was the one who named Ace. He also took care of him until he died last month. I came here two weeks ago to pay my respects and take the fella with me. There’s no one left to take care of him now and we can’t just leave him here. I’m part of the Council. Don’t let the name fool you. We are nothing serious, just a bunch of old fools interested in the supernatural. Yes, werewolves are real. I even know a few. What about you?”

“I’m James. Can I be part of the Council too? Please. I-I promise I’ll do anything! I…I’ll take care of Ace. Please!” James said, a bundle of emotions he couldn’t quite place.

It was as if he ate pure sugar for an entire day and now, the energy hit him all at once. He couldn’t sit still, wanting to jump and scream. He wasn’t crazy, after all. The creatures, the myths, they were all real, not just made-up lies and tales. And there were other like him. More importantly, they were adults!

Olaf looked at the little boy after he finished patching up the little girl’s arm. His gaze lost the amusement it had while he answered the boy’s questions. It was cold and grave now, and James lost all his happiness. The man sighed. Looking at this kid was like looking in a mirror of time, witnessing his younger self once more. His intentions were genuine but if he could not grasp the danger of the world he stepped into, than he was not welcome at all.

“Do you understand what could have happened if I didn’t make it there in time?” Olaf asked in a serious voice.

James looked at him and then at his sister, at her bandaged wound. All the fury he felt towards her was gone as well. Rather he felt ashamed. He shouldn’t have brought her there. He should have postponed his adventure for tomorrow. But he was too eager, too blinded by false admiration to think straight. He stared at the ground in shame, realizing in how much dangerous his actions put both of them.

“We could have died.” he whispered, feeling tears sting his eyes.

“Yes. You could. Ace is friendly most of the time but startle him and you saw what happens. Listen kid,” Olaf got up and approached the boy, kneeling beside him and putting his hands on his shoulders. “My world is beautiful and amazing, but it hides dangers that you can hardly imagine. Play your cards right and every sunset is a blessing but make one mistake and every night will be an endless nightmare. You nearly killed both you and your sister today. I can’t allow you to get involved any further. I’m sorry.”

The little boy’s heart sunk, his dreams crashing before his eyes. Yet… he said nothing, too heartbroken too cry. He gave a slight nod and continued to stare at the ground, avoiding the man’s stare at all costs.

To shatter one’s dreams was never easy, especially those of a child so young. Olaf recognized a talent in that boy, one he hadn’t seen in a very long time, but his recklessness was bound to cause trouble. The risks were too high. He had to turn him away.

“Come on. I’ll take you two home.” Olaf said and took Cecilia in his arms, after giving James’ the torch to carry.

Back home, James received the beating of his life. His parents went completely crazy over his sister’s wounds and the fact that he made friends with the weird stranger that came into their village. Living quite isolated from other towns and settlements, the people there were quite wary of any outsider, preferring to keep their distance. To see their own child in one’s company was an unforgivable offense to the boy’s parents.

The next day, despite being grounded, despite knowing the consequences, equipped with a backpack and a piece of meat he stole from his mother’s cellar, James returned to Ace. The hydra was surprised to see the boy. He rose from the water, giving the little one his full attention.

“I’m sorry for yesterday.” James began and took off the piece of meat, laying it on the ground if front of the monster.

Wishing to leave the hydra eat in peace, he turned around to leave only to be met with an annoyed Olaf at the entrance of the tunnel.

“Why are you back here, boy? I thought I warned you.” the man said, looking the child straight in the eyes.

“I wanted to apologize to Acer.” he answered, not even blinking. He was sincere.

“Apologize? Why?”

James pointed to a burn mark where Olaf’s torch hit Acer yesterday.

“He got hurt because of me and my sister. I thought it was only fair for me to apologize.”

Olaf was speechless… and overjoyed. He was wrong about this boy. Yes, yesterday he acted reckless, but he understood his fault and was obviously regretting it. Letting out a deep sigh, the man ruffled the child’s hair with a smile on his lips.

“Well, boy, welcome to the Council.”

James looked at him in disbelief. Was…was he for real?

“Don’t just stand there now. You have to learn how to take care of Acer now. Come. I’ll show you what to do.” Olaf continued and motioned the boy to follow him.

“Y-Yes, sir!”

And that was how James’ life in the supernatural world began. At first, it was Olaf, who taught him the basics of what he needed to know, how to talk to talk to the fairies and show them respect, how to listen to the rumors of the cats, which were many and forever changing, which spirits to befriend and which to avoid, to tell truth from the lie and ask for help. The child proved an excellent pupil, eager to learn as much as possible, always trying to understand the teachings he was offered. After Olaf, more came along, impatient to meet their new friend and show him the wonders hidden from the ignorant eye.

When he was 12, James was getting ready to go to Japan, to study there under the guidance of one of Olaf’s friends, professor Mizusaki Hekima. By that time, he was already a stranger to his family. His parents were hurt by his friendships, considering that this was the boy’s way of insulting them for all the things they couldn’t offer him due to their poverty. Every time they tried to make him give up or forbid him from following the path he chose, they were met with disobedience, the young boy refusing to abandon his ambition and passion. In their ignorance and pain, they closed their hearts off to him, creating a chasm between them that in their pride, they refused to cross.

His brothers and sisters were ashamed by his weirdness, feeling the need to hide whenever people called them out in the streets, saying that their brother was insane. Before the incident with Cecilia, they were more than willing to protect him, but now… they feared him, believing he had deliberately hurt their sister as Ace’s existence had never been disclosed. The events of the day were also fuzzy to the girl, her mind unable to comprehend the impossible, refusing to bring back the image of the monster. She could not recall the hydra and the man that saved her and her brother, but she remembered James’ fury and the fright that took over her in those moments of despair. Thus, he was forced to bear the blame for the wound, becoming a monster in his sibling’s eyes.

He was fine with it. Everyone warned him that this was the fate he was going to be bestowed upon him. How could he complain then? Back then… it didn’t bother him.

Now, as he was older, wiser, a desire to mend that which had been broken took over him. He didn’t have high hopes, truth be told. He was ready for rejection once more, but what he had now, he couldn’t bring himself to let go. (Y/N) accepted him. She may not have shared the same burning passion that he once did, but she had that sparkle, nonetheless. She brought a ray of light in his life. Thanks to her, he was able to talk to his brothers again, Radiance and Nightmare King finally buried the hatched of war between them, the children were happier, only good things happened.

“James, are you ok?” Pale King asked, anxious about the man’s silence.

“Yes. Just remembering the old days.” he answered, looking at the bugs.

“Do you think it’s going to be ok?” Radiance joined. She was scared. She didn’t want to lose her daughter. Anything but that.

“I don’t know. We shall wait and see.” James responded and returned to his desk.

“I’m so sor…”

“Grimm, it’s ok. No one is mad at you…Actually, we are. You could have brought us along. Keep that in mind next time.” the man joked and let out a soft laugh.

“Well said.” the other two Higher Beings agreed as the Troupe Master chuckled.

They laughed for a bit, forcing the reality of the situation out of their mind, at least for a day. What the future entailed; none could tell. The only thing they could do, was to hope that nothing bad will happen.


	27. Celebrations

You were more than ready to get back to James’ home, eager to show the bugs the surprise you prepared for them. The idea came to you while you and the children were visiting the fair at the edge of the village. It was a way of apologizing to the little ones for having them stuck in the house, while you were recovering from the cold that took over you. Thankfully, your mother was bringing you your meals to your bed, and there were always fruits on the menu that you gladly offered to the small bugs. May and Rea were giving you mean glares each time they saw you lying in bed, while they were stuck doing both their chores and yours. You smiled and waved at them smugly from the comfort of your pillows and blankets. You couldn’t deny the guilty pleasure birthed from seeing them work while you were free to rest. Granted, you were feeling like a pile of goo, and you needed to sleep all the time, but Grandpa and Mom were there to welcome you with open arms whenever you were dreaming and that was one thing you couldn’t complain about.

You looked through the window at the fast-moving scenery, the ride once more passing much quicker than before. Yet, there was something heavy hanging in the air, something that needed to be said, but there were no words to give it voice with. You looked at your father, his expression sour ever since you left home. It was obvious that something was on his mind, but as he was never one to talk about feelings and such, he didn’t know how to bring it up. You didn’t press the matter either, thinking it was for the best. You and him always had a rocky relationship, disagreeing with everything you talked about. You were a dreamer; he was a thinker. To let sleeping die seemed like the best option.

Beside, the little ones were with you, hiding in the backseat where they couldn’t be seen by your father, near the backpack, the main zipper opened so that they could get in quickly if needed be. If something went down, then they were sure to hear it too. You didn’t want to burden them with your problems. Hornet was already mad at you. You didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. But it wasn’t only her. Pure too. Ever since yesterday, they refused to talk to you at all. Honestly, you didn’t believe that would affect them so much. It wasn’t like you were hiding it, but you genuinely forgot about it yourself

When he pulled in the Victorian-styled house’s driveway and the engine was silenced, you were ready to get off, but he stopped you.

“(Y/N).”

“What is it?” you asked looking at him.

“Is…you…” he struggled to find his words which was never a good sign. “Don’t forget what we taught you. And think well about what you want to do with your life.”

You nodded and got out of the car, not understanding very well what he meant.

Outside, the snow was huge, a path to the door having been shoveled not long ago in a very clumsy way. You took out your luggage, hoping that the trick would work. You waved your father bye as he drove away, and headed to the door where Hornet was already waiting, ready to get in.

“I’m home!” you announced as you stepped in the warm hallway, ready to see everyone.

Surprisingly, no one came to greet you, and you were sure the children were going to rush over like madmen the second you arrived. Pale King did say that they were mad at their siblings for not taking them along and were waiting to scold them, which made you more than anxious. You imagined Pure who was already a soft baby getting scolded by their siblings. Poor child.

Hornet and Pure climbed on your shoulder, together with Grimmchild and Ghost wondering how come no one was there. Broken and Flower went on ahead, eager to see their mother and father.

“Hello? Anyone home?” you asked, walking towards the salon, when a puff of red smoke appeared on your shoulder, and Grimm hugged his child, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Oh, my child! I’m so happy to see you again! (Y/N), you too, my dear! How was the trip? You must be tired.” he said, caressing his son’s head and smiling at you.

“Hey, Grimm. I’m fine, thanks. Are the others upstairs?”

“No. We were in the salon, but we are busy with something. It will be ready soon. Please go to your room for a few minutes. I’ll call you back soon.” he said and flew on the floor, continuing to hug his son, followed by Ghost, Hornet and Pure.

“Ok.”

This worked for you too, now, as you didn’t have to worry about the surprise you prepared for them being ruined. As you passed by the salon, you noticed a white blanket blocking the view inside. What exactly were they doing there? Did someone set the couch on fire and now they were fixing it? It nearly happened once. You didn’t think you’ll ever forget the scare you had that day. 

You never imagined how much you missed that room, until you stepped inside it and saw the drawings you made pinned up on the wall, colored by Divine and Grimm. You unpacked everything quickly and went outside on the balcony which was filled with snow. You thought about cleaning it the next day and bend down to make a small snowman, to pass the time. You were curious as what the bugs might be working, and also were excited to see their reaction when you would give them the gifts you bought. They weren’t cheap that was for sure, but they were worth it. You were almost done with the snowman, drawing a smile with your finger on its face, when you felt Radiance’s light body land on your shoulder, her wings wrapped around your face.

“I missed you so much, my dear.” she said rubbing her head on your cheek.

“Me too.” you gently patted her back as you spoke.

“Let’s go downstairs. I want you to see something.”

“Sure. Let me get something first.”

You took a paper bag from your luggage and headed downstairs, trying to suppress the smile that threatened to break your cheeks. Radiance looked at you but said nothing. She was gleeful herself, clearly eager you to see what was awaiting for you.

You were finally at the salon’s door, where the blanket hadn’t been removed yet. It was only 4pm. yet the sky was already dark, the only light coming from Radiance who was now flying in front of you. She didn’t let you turn the lights on but wouldn’t tell you why which only made you more curious as to what these guys were up to. Your question was answered in the most unexpected way the moment you stepped into the salon.

Crimson and silver lights were suddenly turned on all around the room, and James and the bugs jumped up screaming in unison:

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

You looked at them baffled, unable to say a word.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us about your birthday, child.” Pale King said, flying to your other shoulder.

“Sorry, I should have known about this.” James spoke too, scratching the back of his head.

Everyone commented, apologizing for not knowing or scolding you for not saying anything, while you were still struggling to find your words. Your eyes were darting from bug to bug as each one talked, and took in the scenery as well, understanding why they kept you away from that room.

The walls were decorated with garlands, red and white globes with pine trees hanging in between the green, needle-like leaves, black yellow ribbons handing here and there. The small table was full with sweets, baskets with fruits and bottles of soda and a rather large kettle filled with mint tea, lemon slices floating on the surface. The couch and other chairs were covered with blankets with reindeers and winter sceneries embroidered into them. From the stereo record came the sound of the famous carols Jingle Bells and Santa is Coming to Town. There was a Christmas tree near the window, in the corner clumsily adorned with all kinds of stuff other than the usual ornaments, like spider webs and small cubes of beeswax spreading a sweet scent in the air. You couldn’t help but imagine the children playing through the branches, careful not to knock something down. White Lady hadn’t been spared either, her white branches decorated with smaller green garlands, silver lights shining through and tiny strand of red pearls. On her highest branch, a small star-like ornament was placed. Again, the picture of the little ones fighting for who would be the one to place it came to your mind. You would have liked to see that, especially Pale King and James trying to calm them down.

Speaking of your uncle, he was by far the most impressive one. He took his fashion sense to a whole other level. He was wearing a blue Christmas suit, with white reindeers and snowflakes. It took you all the strength in you not to crack up laughing, though you couldn’t deny, he looked kind of cool in it.

“It’s good to have you back here.” he said, smiling sincerely.

“I’m glad to be back too. Thank you for this but you didn’t have too.” you answered, children already climbing all over you.

“Nonsense! It was your birthday. Of course, we had to.” he added, pouring himself and you some tea, while the others were already devouring the fruits, mostly tangerines and cherries.

He handed you your cup and as you took it, his eyes fell on the paper back you were holding.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah! Totally forgot. I have some presents for you guys.”

“What?”

“Child, you shouldn’t have.”

“Oh, my! Well, this is unexpected.”

“We also have something for you.”

And thus, all of you sat down, exchanging presents, exclamations of joy and “thank you” being exchanged through the room. You were shocked to see your dear pocket watch repaired once more, this time Pale King informing you that he did everything in his power to strengthen the materials, thin patterns of light shining at every touch from the enchantment he placed upon it to make it indestructible. They added a chain as well, the symbols of each of your parents, the yellow, white, and red dreamcatchers, the silver crowned form of the King’s Brand, the horned circle of the Grimm Troupe and the three spiked circle of Radiance, hanging alongside the golden chain mail.

The Wyrm in return was really glad to receive silver ring with a crown design, resembling his own and the small mug with the words “BEST DAD” engraved in it. Truth be told, the children had a habit of breaking every single piece of cutlery they came across and he really needed a new one. Radiance was over joyed with the ring you gave her too, the shining gold with a feather running across the yellow band, small diamonds encrusted in the middle of it. She put it around her neck, cheeks blushing a bright white as she stared at her reflection in a reflective glove. Grimm was already ordering the others to stop the stereo and was thinking of what song to play, browsing through YouTube for some Christmas classical music. You took that as him loving his new iPod. Now you two no longer needed to fight over Spotify. His son was laying with Ghost on the heat pad you brought them. It took you a long time to find one with that particular cover, fluffy and easily washable. White Lady was admiring her fan and basket with flowers, just perfect for the delicate blossoms that Ze'mer began to cultivate in the garden. Hornet was dashing around in her new cloak, and Herrah was wondering how you knew that one of the needles in her knitting kit got lost and she needed a new one. Pure was laying cozily in their new sweater, their siblings running around, climbing on their new teddy bears, demanding to be rocked in the cribs you gave them. Monomon was deep in lecture, completely captivated by the engineering book you made so that she could enjoy it easier and Quirrel was enjoying his by her side. Lurien thanked you for the new journals, as he already ran out of his and hadn’t had the change to get others.

“Thanks for the wrist watch. Everyone at work was telling me to get one.” James said, sitting on the couch next to you.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for the party, but you really didn’t need to bother.”

“Quit that. Birthdays are more important than you think. Actually, I haven’t given you my present yet. Here.”

He handed you a small package wrapped in brown paper. You opened it and inside you found an old book, the covers illustrating a table with many plants, some in glass jars, others laying on book, or in a wooden bowl, on top of some kind of concoction. The sentence “Healing plants and how to use them” adorned in black ink above the picture.

“Thanks.” you said and began to flip the pages, the small writing being accompanied by illustrations showing how to make different salves.

“You’re welcome. And there’s more. Check the end of the book.” James said and took a sip from his tea.

You did so and found a plane ticket with your name on it, set for 4 weeks from that day with the destination Sweden. You took it, your brain unable to make any sense of it, and looked at your uncle, mouth agape.

“We’re going to Sweden during your semester break. A friend of mine called me over and wanted you to come as well. I tried to let you out of it, but Gertrude was never one to take no for an answer.” James explained, seeing the confusion and shock on your face. “I… I’m sorry if you don’t want to come…” he tried to add, but you interrupted him midsentence.

“Of course, I want to come!” you exclaimed in joy, nearly jumping off the couch. “But…” you looked at the bugs, at the little ones, “what are we going to do with them? We can’t just leave them alone.”

“Oh, no. Radiance, Pure King and Grimm are coming with us. White Lady will take over thing while we’re gone. Don’t worry. They can take care of themselves.” James assured you, smiling. “Now, let’s go to bed. You have school tomorrow, remember?”

Ugh! Of course. Well, it was just 4 weeks and the worst was over. Your grades were pretty decent, and you were sure to pass all your classes. At least, that was out of the way.

You went to bed after thanking everyone for what they’ve done for you, followed by a few of the little ones. Thanks to their trip, Hornet, Broken, Flower, Pure and Ghost had to kiss their turn at the cat bed goodbye for a month. You giggled, but there was nothing you could do. They sort of did that to themselves, after all.

The sound of carols and the scent of sweets followed by the warm hand of the Nightmare King on your cheek woke you up. You lazily opened your eyes to find him smiling widely as he lifted you up and began to spin around through the room on the rhythm of the melody.

“What? You didn’t think I’ll let you off the hook, didn’t you? You must celebrate your birthday with me as well.” he smiled as he continued to dance with you in his arms.

That was going to be a long night.

* * *


	28. Kuro. Part 1. Leaving

This wasn’t good! Nothing was alright! You needed help, and fast, but leaving wasn’t an option, the pain in your ankle too much to bear and the ground outside to slippery to walk on. The little one in your arms calmed down a bit, but you could feel his whole body burning. One more glance outside deepened your fears, filling your heart with worries. The storm was getting stronger, the wind making so much noise, even if you screamed, nobody would have heard you, the desperate cry for help, swallowed by the heaven’s fury.

How…how did it come to this?

“Ok, uncle! I’m ready to go!” you said, dragging the last of your luggage to the door.

It was 4 am., the sky still dark and the moon shining bright with her silver light. You felt sleep trying to tempt you back into its embrace, but you couldn’t fall prey to its trap. There was a long car ride to the airport awaiting. You could sleep during the journey, but until then you had to stay awake.

Grimmchild was on the floor, doing his best to chew the insufferable leash, his father put on him after he came back home from the winter holiday. Whatever material that thing was made of; it surely was resistant as neither the little one’s fire nor fangs seemed to do any kind of damage to it. Needless to say, the Troupe Master forbade everyone from daring to try and take it off. Ever since you came back home, he refused to let his son out of sight and used that leash to keep the little rascal near him at all time and if it wasn’t him, it was either Brumm or Divine. You didn’t expect the whole Troupe to come along, but Grandpa told you that wherever Grimm went, the others had no choice but to follow. You tried to question him further, but he refused to answer, changing the subject each time. Not wanting to anger him, you respected his wish and decided to drop it, until he found it right to tell you.

Suddenly, a cloud of red smoke appeared near the spot where the little one was lying, and Grimm emerged giving his son a confused look.

“My child, what are you doing?” he said and lifted Grimmchild in his arms, pulling the leash from the hold of their fangs and earning himself a fireball to the face.

The Troupe Master cleaned the dark ash from his face, letting out a sigh in the process. Ever since he put the leash on the rascal, Nightmare King hadn’t stopped scolding him, telling him that he’s too much, he needs to relax and yada, yada, yada. Grimm gave up on trying to argue his decision and now whenever the Scarlet Monarch opened his mouth, he would simply ignore him and do something else, much to his father’s annoyance. Thus, the Troupe Master hadn’t gotten a full night’s peaceful rest at all lately, becoming easily irritable. Fortunately, the only ones to suffer were the Grimmkin as he could never bring himself to lash out at either you or anyone else…ok, maybe Radiance, but that happened rarely.

“You ok?” you asked him, seeing the bags under his eyes.

“Oh, (Y/N)!” he exclaimed, finally realizing you were there. “I’m fine. A bit sleepy that’s all.” he answered with a smile, Grimmchild finally settling down in his embrace.

“Well, you can sleep in the car if you want. It’s going to be a long ride, after all.”

“Yes, that would be helpful, thank you.” he said and you both succumbed back into silence, but not for long as the others began to join you as well.

“Ghost, for the last time. You can’t come with me this time. Now let go of me, child.” Pale King said, coming to the door, with two of his children following behind him, one having a firm of his cape.

Pure tried to peel his sibling off their father, but the little one’s grasp on his parent’s cloak was stronger than it seemed. With a sigh, the King lifted the child in his arms and caressed their mask gently, looking them in those endless, dark eyes.

“My dear child, I promise I’ll make it up to you when I come back, alright?” he softly bopped the spot where their nose should have been before handing them to their sibling. “Take them back to Root. She’ll soothe you children back to sleep.”

Pure nodded and headed back to their room. Just as they were leaving, Herrah and Hornet came down, offering a quick greeting to the two bugs as they passed them. You all looked at the two of them as they approached. You were getting a bad feeling about it. The Wyrm was the first to talk.

“Herrah, may I know what you’re doing here? Is there a problem that you need to discuss with me?”

“No Wyrm. We’re here because we will accompany you.” Herrah responded and Hornet quickly took her favorite spot on your shoulder.

“You didn’t think I’ll let you go without me, did you?” she said in a smug tone and your jaw nearly hit the floor.

Oh! Shot! Not again!

“No. I won’t approve of this! Hornet get down this instant and…” the King began but was quickly shut up by the Spider Queen.

“I don’t remember needing to ask for your permission. We will go whether you like it or not. Now, where’s that airhead called James?”

“I don’t know. I’ll go check up on him.” you said and got out of there, quickly glancing Wyrm’s way who was still flabbergasted at Herrah’s words.

Yep, that trip was going to be a long one.

You went to the first floor, to your uncle’s bedroom. You knocked three times and then slowly opened the door, wondering what happened to your uncle. What you found inside…your mother would have had a heart attack at the mess presented in front of you.

The floor was littered with papers, and books, some stacked away here and there, but others just thrown randomly somewhere. There were also empty boxes of takeout which desperately needed to be shown the way to the garbage bin. The air was stale, and it nearly made you gag. The room was furnished almost like yours but, instead of a desk, there was an armchair and a coffee table on which there were multiple dirty mugs, some that you were wondering for a long time where they had been. The bed, which was a complete mess of blankets and sheets, James luggage was lying wide open, revealing his clothes and stuff which were surprisingly neatly arranged.

Once you got over the shock of seeing such a chaotic room, you could hear Radiance scolding your uncle in the bathroom.

“Don’t forget that cream! Did you get your shaving equipment? Maybe we should get some extra razors. James, don’t roll your eyes at me!”

“Oh, shut up, mom! I got everything. Now let’s hurry back down. I bet everyone’s tired of waiting for us already.” he said coming out of the bathroom with a small box in his hands, the Moth perched on his shoulder.

He looked at you surprised to see you there.

“Hey, (Y/N)! Sorry for the wait. I’m coming right now.” he apologized, putting the box inside his suitcase and closing it.

“Yeah…we might have some problems.” you said, scratching the back of your head, only to be punched in the cheek by Hornet.

“Who are you calling a problem?” she asked offended.

James needed no more, Radiance already wing palming herself.

“Hornet, have you talked to your mother about this?” your uncle tried to find an excuse to make the little one stay behind.

“She’s coming with us too.”

At this response, James had nothing more to say. All he could do was hope that everything was going to be well.

You caressed Grimm’s head, trying not to giggle at the sound of his purring. The Troupe Master was sleeping in your palm, his son joining him in the land of nightmares which they called home. Brumm was sitting on one of the bags by your side, playing a nice lullaby for his master, while Divine, Radiance and Herrah were chatting with each other. Pale King was silently watching the scenery out the window, telling Hornet stories of the times before he came to Hallownest to claim it as his own. The girl was listening to him, asking about the creatures he saw, genuinely interested in her father’s tales. It wasn’t often when they got to spend time together like father and daughter, thus it was nice to finally have a moment like this, when the Wyrm’s attention was her and hers only.

You’ve been on the road for 6 hours already, and you had yet to reach your destination.

“You ok, (Y/N)? Maybe you should get some sleep. We won’t stop for at least 3 more hours.” James said, looking at your reflection in the front mirror.

“Nah, I’m fine. Thanks.” you answered, smiling as Grimm let out another purr and nuzzled deeper into your palm. 

Gosh! This bug-cat was so adorable!

“Can you tell me more about your friend, uncle? I think you said her name was Gertrude.”

You were quite curious about the person who insisted so much to meet you despite not knowing anything about you.

“She’s an old friend of mine. Her brother, Olaf, saved my and Cecilia’s lives when we were younger. They were the ones who introduced me to the supernatural world properly and supported me up till high school. They’re very friendly people, though Gertrude does have a strange sense of humor…a bit reckless if you ask me. They live in a cabin in Tiveden as rangers, but actually take care of the old altars there. Don’t worry though. You won’t get involved with that.”

“So, they know about the bugs.”

“Oh, yes. Olaf was there when they moved in my house and did help me for a while, until our friends settled in.”

“You said Olaf saved your and aunt Cecilia’s lives. What happened?” you asked but regretted the words. You should have been more mindful of it. What if he didn’t want to talk about it?

“I was reckless.” James said, calm as ever. “I wanted to prove to everyone that the supernatural existed and I went to a cave to look for a dragon.”

“A dragon?”

“Yes. There were legends in the village, about a dragon sleeping in a cave. I thought that if I brought one of its scales for everyone to see, then nobody will laugh at me ever again. Unfortunately, what I found wasn’t a dragon. It was a hydra.”

“A-a hydra?!” you said, the picture of a colossal, multi headed snake came to your mind.

“Yes. He was quite friendly though. However, my sister was too scared of him. She screamed, he got scared and began to attack us. Olaf saved us in the nick of time. After that, he became my mentor. He introduced me to the Council and from then on, I began to form in the person you see today, standing in front of you.” he said, smiling as the last words came out.

“So, they’re the ones we need to thank for you being so messy?” Herrah asked mockingly.

Neither of you realized she had been listening to the conversation until she spoke up.

“Oh, come on! I ain’t that bad!” your uncle cried out.

“(Y/N), you saw the state his bedroom was in. Tell me. Wasn’t it a complete disaster?” Radiance joined, crossing her wings and looking at you.

You laughed nervously and muttered something incomprehensible, looking anywhere but at the eyes staring, waiting for an answer, but you refused to give one. Nope. You were one to tell people the blunt truth without caring about their feelings, but there were some lines not even you wanted to cross. And this was one of them. And yes, you did think James had to clean his room, after witnessing that disaster, but telling someone they were dirty was never an easy thing to do. Silence is gold, as they say.

Thankfully, the discussion came to an end when Grimm woke up and lazily opened his eyes, obviously still sleepy, an annoyed frown on his face. He looked at you, struggling to stay awake.

“(Y/N), please go to sleep. That darn old man won’t leave me alone and I’m too tired to keep him company.” he begged you, and you were more than happy to comply.

“Ok. Uncle wake me up when we get there.” you said and closed your eyes, letting Brumm’s lullaby lure you to the Nightmare Realm, and into the Scarlet Monarch’s arms, Grimmchild quick to wrap his wings around you and demand playtime.

You looked around the airport, following your uncle to a secluded hangar, where there were barely any people. Your mind was full of questions. The bugs were wide in the open, perched on your shoulders, and looking around the place. You thought they needed to hide, but James said that it wouldn’t be necessary, until you boarded the plane at least. 

“Where are we going?” you asked, trying to keep up with your uncle.

You were still tired, having danced with Grandpa for 2 hours straight. Well, actually he mostly taught you how to dance while Grimm was guiding an orchestra made out of Grimmkin novices and masters, the Grimmkin nightmares flying around and doing acrobatics as you were clumsily trying to follow the King’s steps. 

“To the plane, of course.” he answered, finally slowing down a bit, seeing you fight to catch your breath.

“Yeah, but… we haven’t even presented the tickets or went to the terminal…” you began, recalling all the steps that needed to be done.

Granted, you never traveled by plane in your entire life up to this point, but you had an idea of what had to happen. Seeing your uncle just lead you straight to the plane, both confused and made you anxious.

“Oh, we don’t need that. Look.”

He gestured to a security guard who was approaching. You, instinctively, panicked as the bugs had nowhere to hide, but the alarm quickly turned to confusion when the guard spoke.

“Hey, James! How you doing? Is that your niece? Gosh! She’s pretty.”

“Pawns off, Albert. (Y/N), this is Albert, an acquaintance of mine. Albert, my niece (Y/N).”

James did the presentations to the guard who offered a hand which you shook a bit hesitantly, uttering a soft “Nice to meet you.” You noticed Albert’s eyes were a deep brown, a moon-like shape shining in his irises, and when he smiled, his teeth were long and almost dog-like. It didn’t help that he actually smelled like a dog.

Albert greeted the rest of the bugs as well, bowing to them politely, which surprised you even more, though it shouldn’t have. He and James began to talk, the later handing the guard the plane tickets. As they chatted, Pale King noticed your bewilderment and smiled.

“Worry not, child. Albert is a trusted friend. He helped James and us many times.” he said, patting your cheek.

“Your Highness, you give me too much credit.” Albert said, hearing the King’s words.

He looked at you, another grin spreading across his lips. He searched his pockets and pulled a small business card with a company logo and a phone number written in black ink on it.

“This is my phone number. If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to call me, ok? Or if James got his butt in another problem. That reminds me. James, when are you going to give me that beer? I haven’t forgotten.”

Albert laughed as your uncle sighed and assured him that he will get his beer. He seemed like a nice fellow, once you got past his tall and build-up stature. But then again, was James really such a clumsy guy?

Albert took your luggage and began to walk towards the hangar, while still talking with your uncle, the two trying to catch up. You followed them, listening to their conversation and looking around the place. You noticed a few more guards, but they all left you guys alone, the moment they saw Albert walking with you. Some came to greet James and make a bit of small talk. Others taking the time to introduce themselves and bow to the Higher Beings.

“So, where is Cody?” your uncle asked looking around, once you got close to a small plane.

Were you…were you going to fly in that?!

“He’s coming right now. Look!” Albert said and waved his hands to someone who was coming closer.

You looked his way, to see a young boy around your age, possibly two years older, wearing a brown vest and with fur linen on the inside, a pair of winter pants and black military boots. From under his helmet, strands of black, curly hair were hanging wildly, and through the lowered glasses, you could see the greenest eyes you’re ever witnessed. Wait…no…there was no way…no freaking way…. this…this boy wasn’t going to be your pilot, right? Right?!

“(Y/N) meet Cody. He’s going to be taking us to Sweden and back.” James said and you felt your knees giving in.

This had to be a joke.

“Hi. Nice to meet you.” the boy said offering you his hand.

You shook it, still unable to believe what was going on. Was that plane even able to take you all the way there.

“Ok. Enough of that. You guys need to be on your way. Good luck out there and tell Olaf to get his ass over here some time. It would be nice to see his face now and then.” Albert said and returned to his post, waving you and James goodbye.

“I’ll be sure to tell him. Ok, (Y/N). Let’s go.” James helped you get your luggage in, chatting with Cody about the weather, while you were staring at them flabbergasted.

This was a joke, RIGHT?!

“Are we there yet?” you asked burying your head into Radiance’s fluffy feather.

“Let me check. Grimm! Are we there yet?” she screamed at her brother on the other side of the dream.

“Nope. Still in the air.”

“Shot!” you both said at the same time.

Well, at least you weren’t the only one scared about flying miles above the ground in a plane with a teenager as a pilot. That…helped a little.


	29. Kuro. Part 2. Welcome to Sweden

The second you heard the words “We're landing!”, you felt your entire body relax at long last. You finally let go of the Moth's wings and wiped your tears, while Radiance was sighing in relief. She was fine flying on her own, but the thought of using any other means to soar through the endless sky always send a wave of fright and panic to fester in her chest. Though, she wasn't sure if it was the thought of planes that terrified her or the fact that one of James' acquaintances were piloting the darn thing. To you the later seemed like the most frightening part. Thankfully, Cody proved to be a far better pilot than you expected and so was the plane. While you and the other two Higher Beings were taking shelter in the dream realm, an activity Pale King would have definitely joined you in, were it not for a certain princess and queen who were too mesmerized by the never-ending white and blue sea of clouds and heavens, the little one constantly demanding him to partake in her delight, James and Cody were silently taking in the scenery, one waiting for the journey to be over so he could see the faces of the friends he missed so, the other focused on doing his duty the best he could and ignore the curiosity brewing inside him.

A girl who had been adopted by not one but three Higher Beings as their own daughter was by far one of the oddest things he had come across so far in his short life in the supernatural world. He wanted to talk more with you as soon as time allowed him, but now, safely landing that plane took precedence over everything else.

You woke up as soon as the landing was over, Radiance and Grimm opening their eyes shortly after, all of you thanking God for His mercy at the same time. However, that relief was to be short lived.

“Your Highnesses better stay here for now.” James said after he helped you get down on the frozen earth.

The plane landed in a wide, snow covered field, next to a dense forest, so vast the sun's light could not shine through, making it feel all more ominous and scary, not even the purity of the white blanket able to alleviate its creepiness. You glanced towards the dark woods, your heart beating faster as you saw, or thought you saw, a tall shadow moving thought the darkness, a pair of yellow orbs staring at your group, only for it to disappear the moment you blinked. You tried to calm yourself by thinking it must have been a wolf or some other critter, but your uncle's statement made you second guess that. He did mention something about Gertrude and Olaf protecting some altars, didn't he? You looked at him, the question struggling to get out of your throat.

“I-Is there something...” was all you managed to say before James suddenly took off running pulling you after him, followed by Cody.

You tried to scream, demanding an explanation when you heard it, the growl of wolves and the well-known sound of paws hitting the ground as they rush to catch prey from the games of tag you used to play with your dogs back when they were puppies. Cussing out, you speeded up as much as you could, together with the other two men, rushing towards the other side of the forest which was bordered by large lake, grey clouds reflecting in the clear surface of the water. Fear and adrenaline were cursing through you blood, filling up every fibber of your body as you struggled to run even faster, feeling the warm breath of the wolves in the back of your neck. Your salvation came in the form of the lower branch of a tree, Cody, who was considerably ahead of you and James, being the first to reach it, grabbing it and pulling himself up. As soon as he secured himself, he reached out a hand to you, which you wasted no time in grabbing. He helped you climb up beside him, but your uncle wasn't as lucky, being left with no choice but to jump in the lake which seemed to stop the quadrupled chasers from pursuing their prey any further.

The moment the hunt was over, the wolves changed drastically, from ferocious beasts ready to kill to tamed dogs wanting to play. Some came under the branch you were perched on and began to roll in the grass or bark, revealing their desire for a more...humble game, while others were staring at James who was now swimming to the shore, breathing heavily from the effort. Months in an office did him no good to strengthen his stamina and muscles. He was going to be so sore the next day. You stared at the beasts flabbergasted as Cody busted out laughing and got down, rubbing the exposed bellies.

“Glad to see you too guys. How have you been doing? Oh, Mike, you put on some fat, haven't you?” the boy spoke to the wolves, before looking at you, still holding onto that branch for dear life. “Need help getting down?”

“Mrmm. No!” you said and made the jump, all the fear and confusion morphing into anger. “What on Earth was that?!” you screamed, motioning to the animals, hiding behind the boy.

Now you were the one scaring them.

Before Cody got the chance to answer, another voice was heard from the direction the wolves originally came from, laughing copiously at your group. You looked to see who was the one to whom the laughter belonged to, feeling a vein pulsate on your face and all your anger direct towards that person instead. To your surprise, you saw an old woman, probably in her 50’s, dressed in a thick pair of brown trousers and a winter jacket, white hair caught in a messy bun with rebellious strands of hair coming out in all possible directions. Her face was full of wrinkles, but every time she smiled she seemed much younger than she was. On her shoulders were none others than the bugs, Radiance rushing to your side the moment her eyes fell upon you. As your mother showered you with questions, occasionally staring daggers at the woman, more questions of your own crammed into your mind. Who was she? And how come the bugs were familiar enough with her to sit on her shoulders? Contrary to appearances, they refused to get close to anyone they didn't fully trust and even then it was done only when necessary. You and James were the only exceptions, as far as you knew. Fortunately for you, your uncle was the one to shed light on the whole situation.

“Glad to see you’re as crazy as always, Gertrude.” He said getting out of the water and wrapping his hands around his trembling body.

You stared at the woman who was now mere centimetres across from you, looking you up and down, completely ignoring your uncle who was in danger of hypothermia. A smile ran across her lips as examined you and the Moth.

Oh! If only Radiance could stab her with her swords! She knew of Gertrude's crazy antics, but this took things too far! What if something had happened to her daughter? Grimm wasn't far from agreeing with his sister. He had a certain distaste for canines, with their constant rush of energy and desire to play. He preferred more independent creatures, the clingy ones always tiring him out. His son was an exception of course. He was a mere child after all. His father... unfortunately, he liked these wolves very much, the energy and wish for companionship helping him forget or at least alleviate the loneliness he felt due to his child's distance. They both had different opinions regarding Gertrude who was surrounded by all this vitality, which didn't seem to overshadow her own. The Troupe Master preferred to stay distant and not interact if not necessary, while Nightmare King didn't mind having her over in his realm for a cup of tea, to discuss different topics or come up with new ways to prank those around them. Pale King preferred to keep his opinion to himself, although he stood with Radiance on the matter of her welcome towards you. He, too, was furious at the unpleasant greeting and the prank which could have gone wrong in so many ways. Herrah and Hornet, on the other hand, found this way of welcoming one very intriguing, both of them liking Gertrude's odd and adventurous attitude. Too bad they were the only ones.

“So,” the woman finally spoke, her blue eyes staring right into your (eye/colour)ed ones, “you are James' niece who I've heard so much about, the adopted daughter of the two Lights and Scarlet Nightmare. I have to say, I was expecting someone a bit more... hm, how should I put it... more on the odd side. You look quite plain if you ask me.”

Her words felt somewhat insulting, though you could tell she meant no offense. Still, what did she expect? Your anger died down by now, thanks to having your bug parents close again, leaving a slight irritation behind that you chose to ignore for now. She was a friend of your uncle, you could afford to give her one more chance, for James.

“Hello. My name is (Y/N). Nice to meet you.” You said being polite.

However, your manners didn't seem to please Gertrude in the least. She frowned and looked at the Wyrm who was the only one who seemed to have taken notice of your uncle's sorry state, flying around him and asking if he was ok.

“Seems like that sparkling dude is more of an influence than I thought. And here I was, hoping you would be more like your Grandfather. Well, that's that. Come. James stop shivering already. It's not like I made you swim in the waters of the Antarctic Ocean again.” She yelled at your uncle as she turned around to leave.

You looked at James flabbergasted. Wait. This woman made him do what now?! You began walking along side your uncle and Cody, who had been silent all that time, following that woman and her wolves, more questions rising inside your head. The bugs were now sitting on your shoulders, except for Grimm who was trying to warm James up as much as he could, his son cuddled in his arms, enjoying the blissful ignorance all children were blessed with.

“Don't mind, Gertrude. I know she can be rude sometimes, but she doesn't mean anything bad.” Cody said all of the sudden, distracting your attention from your uncle.

“Don't worry. I'm fine.” You replied, looking at the woods you were passing by.

You couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. Even as you ran from the wolves, you could swear that there was something there, behind the wall of black bark and darkness, running along with you. An eerie sentiment creeped into your heart, making you shiver from its chilling touch. Just what was inside that forest?

“You ok?” Cody asked, looking at you worried.

“Huh? Y-yeah, I'm fine.” You lied, unable to tear your eyes off from the trees.

“Is there something wrong, dear?” Radiance asked as well, noticing the slight trembling of your body.

“I don't see anything.” Herrah added, her gaze scrutinizing the woods, while Pale King had a firm hold of Hornet, stopping her from venturing in the forest, looking for whatever thing caught your attention.

“We better hurry.” Cody said and speeded up, grabbing your hand and pulling you after him.

Finally, you managed to break out from whatever spell was placed upon you, tearing your eyes off the ominous darkness and following the boy, matching his peace. Whatever was hiding in there, you knew it couldn't be good. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea after all.

After a few hours of walking, you reached Gertrude's home, a two floor cabin, very old with the paint slowly peeling off here and there. It was surrounded by hazel trees with branches covered in white, a swing near the entrance with the remains of a campfire resting at its feet. Once you stepped inside, you felt as if you were in your uncle's room all over again, the same mess that shocked you there present now, a few more clothes thrown all around, some clearly needing a date with the washing machine, added to the picture. Were all of James' friends this chaotic?

Gertrude invited you all to take a sit in the living room which was the first thing you entered as you opened the door, a set of stairs in the opposite side, leading to the second floor, as she headed to another room nears them which was, from what you assumed, the kitchen. The living room was furnished in a simple manner, with a couch and two armchairs on each side facing the fireplace, a large table in the middle. The floors were adorned with Turkish carpets, all old and dirty.

You and Cody took a sit on the sofa, after taking the clothes clumsily scattered on it and putting them aside, on the floor as they clearly needed to be washed, while James rushed to the fireplace where flames were greedily devouring papers and timber as fuel to their violent dance. You looked around the place, at the portraits on the walls, illustrating a younger Gertrude and another man, Olaf, judging from the fact that he had the same blue eyes as her. There were also maps pinned on cardboard panels, along with letters from different authorises, varying from police to government officials, as you could deduce from the fancy looking stamps at the end of the long walls of text, letters and words you couldn't read due to language barrier.

“What do you think? Cody, right?” the boy said, smiling at the joke he made of his own name.

"Y-Yeah.” You replied, holding back any comment about the mess.

"And who are you exactly? I don't remember seeing you last time we were here.” Grimm asked, trying to calm the tremor of his voice.

He said nothing back at the forest, knowing full well that you needed to be taken away from there fast, but the gesture of him grabbing your hand didn't sit well with the Troupe Master. An irritation began to brew inside him, at the mere sight of you two sitting so close together on the same couch. He wasn't the only one. Pale King also kept a close watch on the boy, finding his unknown motives regarding you all the more reason not to trust him.

"Oh, yeah. I became their apprentice not long ago. I think it’s six months now since I came to live with them.” Cody said, oblivious at the suspicious and irritated glares he was receiving.

Radiance took notice of that, wing palming her face and letting out a soft “Oh, boy.” at the sight of the two males. This was going to be a long week.

“How come you can pilot a plane so young? You can't be older than 17.” You asked, still amazed that a boy his age was able to fly a plane all the way to Sweden without crashing.

“Oh. My dad used to be a pilot. I learned everything I know from him. And I'm actually 19.” He answered with a smile.

“Ok.” You said and turned your attention to James, who was rubbing his hands at the warmth of the fire. “Are you ok, uncle?”

“Yep. Never been better.” He said and let out a forced laughter.

“Oh, shut it already. You've gotten soft, boy. That's your problem.” Gertrude said, returning to the room with a tray on which lay 6 cups of steaming hot liquid, whose scent was quite foul.

She set it on the table in front of you and crashed into the nearby armchair, her cup in hand and sipping the drink. You looked at the contents of the cup, trying to guess what it could be made of and having second-thoughts about getting it anywhere near your mouth. The others didn't seem to have a problem with it though, but the greenish, sick colour didn't help in changing your mind.

“It's not poison.” Gertrude said, rather offended by your wariness.

“Then what is it?” you asked, trying to sound polite.

“Drink and find out.” The old woman replied with a smug look.

“No. Thank you.” You said and set the cup down, ignoring the looks she gave you.

This wasn't how you planned things to go, but at this point you didn't care. This woman had wolves chase you down, and had been rude to you the entire time. She may have been a friend of your uncle, but that didn't mean you had to stand for everything she did. She had her second chance and now you were beginning to regret ever giving her one. You leaned back into the sofa, watching the scenery out the window, ignoring the annoyed gaze Gertrude was throwing your way.

“So, Gertrude...where's Olaf?” James asked, trying to disturb the awkward silence which settled in the room.

He knew how rude and annoying that old woman could be and felt bad for not telling you about it more in detail sooner. He should have known better.

“My brother is in the basement with Ace.” Gertrude said, finally looking away from you.

“Is that so? Thanks. (Y/N) come. I want to introduce you to Olaf.” He said and helped you get up from the couch.

You followed him to the basement, Cody, Gertrude and the bugs staying behind to have a talk. As soon as you were gone, Pale King and Radiance wasted no time in trying to scold the old woman, but before they could get a word in, she spoke, addressing herself to Grimm, who was trying to soothe his son to sleep again.

“You could have done a better job about that girl.”

“Excuse me, madam?” The Troupe Master replied, a note of irritation in his tone, one he didn't care to hide.

“I'm just saying. She could have been braver and less polite. Is she trying to be a martyr or something?” Gertrude replied, taking another sip of her drink.

“I think she's an excellent well-behaved child, thank you very much.” Pale King said, angry as well.

“Maybe you could learn something from her. How about that?” Radiance joined in.

“Me? Learn something from her? Please, if I were half the coward she is, I wouldn't be able to survive in this world.” The old woman scoffed.

“C-Coward?!” Grimm repeated the world, anger taking hold of him. “She's not a coward!”

“With all due respect, you know nothing about our daughter to speak about her like that. She may not posses your recklessness but we can assure you that she is perfectly fine the way she is.” Pale King spoke again, fighting not to lose his cool.

“Whatever you say, king.” Gertrude replied with a monotone voice.

“I think he has taken an interest in her.” Cody said all of the sudden, making everyone look his way.

The old woman nearly dropped her drink hearing that, the bugs looking at each other confused. Who was this he? Herrah, who had been silent so far, agreeing on one side with Gertrude and with Pale King and Grimm on the other, wanted to ask about this mysterious character when she saw the old woman smiling widely, but not in happiness. It was the same grin the Troupe Master had when something happened, an event or person that peaked his interest came into their lives. If the spider queen knew anything about that smile, it was that nothing good was ever about to happen.

“Well,” Gertrude said as she placed her free hand under her chin. “There really is something about that girl then.”


	30. Kuro. Part 3. Memory of that day

You followed your uncle through the long tunnel, amazed at the construction underneath the house. When that woman mentioned a basement you though that it was a large room with vegetables and jars of jam and compote stored on high shelves above washing machines, not a long and dark corridor leading deep underground. James was helping you wall through the darkness and not trip, having no other light source apart from the lantern he found hanging in a nail near the door, which truth be told, wasn't of much help.

During the whole stroll, you prayed Olaf wouldn’t be like his sister at all. You already felt bad for being rude to Gertrude, even if you felt rightful to do so at that time, but you knew that if her brother was the same, then there was no way you could stay tin that place. There was also the matter of the thing in the forest. Just thinking about it send shivers down your spine. And... you didn't want to ruin your uncle’s mood. He had waited 4 weeks to see Olaf, Gertrude not so much, and this Ace fellow. You didn't want to spoil this for him. Maybe you should have really stayed home.

“There they are.” James said, his words bringing you back to earth.

Without you realizing, the two of you had already reached the end of the tunnel and you were now in a small cave with a pool of the water in the centre in which a petite, real life hydra with 3 heads was lying lazily, half of its body submerged under the water. Next to it, a man in a rocking chair with silver hair shining under the pale light of the cavern was dozing off. He had a blanket over his knees, wearing a white shirt and a muffler around his neck. James approached them, but you felt your feet freeze in place as the blood drained from your face.

That...was one giant freaking snake and you were afraid of them. You stood at the entrance waiting for hour uncle, unable to move a centimetre from there.

As soon as James was close enough, one of the hydra's heads turned his way, letting out a soft his as it saw the face of his dear friend, reaching out to him while the other heads turned as well. Your uncle began to pat each one of them, a large smile blooming on his lips as he played with them.

“Yes. It's been too long, my friend. Way too long.” He said, pressing his forehead against one of the hydra's.

Sensing the creature's change of mood, the old man opened his eyes fully, the desire to sleep dying down now. He looked at the one who joined them, disturbing their peaceful rest and grinned.

“He missed you a lot, you know. You could have bothered to give us at least a phone call now and then.” The man said and got up from the chair, making the blanket on his knees fall down on the cold ground, revealing a pair of brown trousers which were cut as to not cover a prosthetic left leg.

Limping his way up to his friend, the two men hugged each other, laughing and smiling, obviously having missed each other a lot. When they broke apart, the old man finally noticed you, still standing at the entrance of the cave, to frightened to move.

“And who's that?” he asked.

“Oh, that's my niece. (Y/N) come here.” James said and you obeyed, a tad hesitant, your gaze never leaving the hydra who returned your gaze with a curious look.

“H-Hello, sir.” You said.

“Hello, dear. I'm Olaf.” He introduced himself, not waiting for your uncle to do it. “And this” he motioned to the creature behind him “is Ace. Don't be afraid of him. Poor thing is so old, he can barely see unless you're right in front of him.”

You couldn't deny that it sounded sad indeed. You've had pets who had gone completely blind and it hurt to watch them try to find their way around the house, the room in which they used to run like mad. Olaf reached out an inviting hand, his intentions more than clear. You took it and let him lead you to the serpent, trying to calm the restless beating of your heart. When the creature lifted all three heads to look your way, your legs were taken over by a strong urge to run away, but you resisted it, trying to chase the fear away from your mind. Olaf took the hand you gave him and slowly placed it on one of the hydra's heads, gently running it along the wet scales. You smiled, the cold feeling being quite pleasant to the touch, all your fright dying down as you continued to caress the reptile. It wasn’t as bad as you thought. Ace was rather nice, and you couldn't help but feel bad for him, noticing how slow his movements were, as he tried to bring his other heads to you. His age was clearly showing.

“He's not going to moult again, is he?” you asked concerned.

The older they were, the more dangerous it was for snakes to shed their old skin. You feared that Ace wouldn't survive a moult in his current state, a fright fed by the loose scales that you felt as your hand passed across his head.

“No. He stopped doing that long ago.” Olaf said, pleased to see you so concerned about his friend that you feared only seconds ago.

Soon, the hydra emerged back into the water ready to succumb to another long sleep as if he began to do more and more often. You watched him until the ripples in the water calmed down completely, the surface becoming still like a mirror.

“Guess it's time to head back up.” Olaf said.

You and James followed him, making idle chat on the way.

“So, (Y/N), how do you like Sweden so far?” Olaf asked.

“I think it's an interesting place. Haven't really gotten the chance to see too much of it though.” You answered.

“Let me guess, instead of taking you to town to show you the place, my sister had wolves chase you down. Is that right?”

“Well...”

Nasty as she had been, you didn't want to badmouth Gertrude in front of anyone in her family, but you didn't want to lie either.

“(Y/N) trust me. I know better than anyone what my sister is capable of. I assume she called you a coward for not drinking one of her special concoctions, right?”

“Didn't really do that, but she was rather offended at my refusal to drink it.”

“That's my sister unfortunately. She thinks anyone who doesn't take risks as high as she does is a coward though that's not the case, but she was never one to listen to others. Right now, we have a new friend to take care of. A very cute long-eared owl. You must see him. Poor fellow’s home burned down a few days ago, but honestly that comes as no surprise. This forest does burn often after all no matter how well we take care of it. He doesn't like Gertrude at all, even scratched her a few times when she tried to feed him. Maybe you will have better luck than us.” Olaf said.

“I'd like to, but I don' t really know much about how to take care of owls.”

“Don't worry. I'll help you out.” Olaf assured you.

You thanked him just as you reached the basement’s door. As soon as you got out, the scent of food hit you, making you realize how hungry you were. In the kitchen, you found Cody cooking a traditional Swedish meal, the bugs listening to some music from Grimm’s iPad. Olaf went ahead and greeted them, bowing to the Higher Beings and Queen.

“It has been a long time, your Highnesses.” He said as he stood up straight.

“Indeed, it has, sir Olaf.” Pale King responded, as polite as ever.

He liked the man, which unlike his sister was much calmer and respectful.

“I'm so glad to find you well, Olaf.” Radiance added as well.

“I believe I offered you a Nightmare Lantern, good friend. You could call me for a visit with it from time to time. Wouldn't that be nice?” Grimm joined the conversation.

While he disliked Gertrude for her recklessness and lack of class, this man had more than enough of that. His tastes in art weren't bad either. In the few days, the two have been together before moving in James' home, Olaf having shown the black bug quite a lot of exquisite operas of music and theatre plays.

“How's your foot? Does that thing actually help?” Herrah asked, surprised as always by the idea of fake limbs.

She didn't think some pieces of metal could do a job as good as one's own flesh and blood hands and legs and it was always a surprise for her to see Olaf using his as if it had always been a part of her body. She wasn't as attracted to science as the Wyrm but that didn't mean certain things couldn't interest her.

“Oh, yes, my Queen. Like you wouldn't believe it.” The old man said and made a little dance as demonstration, much to Hornet's amusement.

While they were discussing, you went to the kitchen to see if you could be of any help. The moment you stepped inside; the scent of salmon hit you so strongly you had to take a step back.

“Hey. Need any help?” you asked Cody who was adding herbs to the meat which had been carefully cut and picked of bones.

“Nope. I just finished. Hope you are not a huge fan of fish, because this is the first and last meal, you'll have with it. The rest will be only Kalops and brown peas with bacon.” He said putting the fish in the oven.

“I'm good. Thanks.” You said and took a moment to look through the kitchen.

It was surprisingly clean, with modest furniture made out of pine wood. The fridge and oven were on opposite sides of each other near a small window, through which you could see the snow falling slowly to the ground.

“You're very brave, you know.”

“Sorry?” you asked, taken by surprise by Cody's words.

“I mean you are not afraid to do what you want. Many wouldn't dare say no when others say yes. You're different.” He continued, but it didn't do much for you.

“Still don't get if. What did I do?”

“You didn't drink Gertrude's concoction, not even when she stared at you. I was fighting not to spit that thing with all I had.”

“Then why did you drink it?”

“Because...” he looked around, searching for anyone that might hear what he was going to say next.

Fortunately, you were alone and thus he could speak freely. He turned to look at you as he continued, in a whispering voice.

“Because I'm afraid of Gertrude. Do you have any idea what she is capable of? Old hag has a few screws loose if you get the idea.”

“Sorry to hear that, pal.” You said and patted his shoulder.

You really felt sorry for the poor boy. You didn't wish even to your worst enemy the “pleasure” of meeting Gertrude.

“Thanks. Anyway, that's why I'm saying you're brave.”

“Nah. I just don't take crap from anyone anymore. Nearly killed me once. Never doing it again.” You said, remembering the day of the accident, the looks you were receiving before the entire thing went down.

You knew it was a bad idea, but you wanted to be liked, no. You wanted to do what your mother told you which was make others like you. Funny how that turned out, right? In the hospital with stitches all over your belly. 

“Wait. What?!” Cody shouted, taking you by surprise.

You wanted to say something, but the look in his eyes reduced you to silence. Reflected in his black irises was pure horror, so raw and strong it nearly passed onto you.

“W-What?” you managed to say after a while.

Before Cody got to answer, both of you heard Gertrude screaming upstairs, releasing a series of curses that would put even sailors to shame. Everyone rushed there to see what was going on with James and Cody in front, and you helping Olaf in the back of the line, the bugs having stood behind in case something bad had happened as no one wanted to put them in danger.

When the men reached the door behind which they could hear the old woman's voice still shouting profanities and opened it, a heavy mass of feathers flew right out the newly appeared way out of that hell hole, heavy feathers hitting the two in the face, forcing them to close their eyes and shield their heads with bare hands. The chaotic creature then headed down the stairs, bumping into you with such force, you were knocked to the ground.

“What the...!” you were about to shout as you got up in a sitting position and looked at the thing that hit you.

It was the owl Olaf had been talking about down in the basement. Its feathers were black as the night, and it had the biggest, golden eyes you ever saw. Without warning, it wrapped its wings around you, begging for shelter, protection from the mad woman, which was coming down the stairs, the sound of her heavy steps against the hardwood floor feeling like the march of a thousand demons. Gertrude appeared in front of you, face red with fury, three long lashed with blood creeping through the cut skin decorating her left arm and right cheek. Her eyes foretold nothing good, and you instinctively wrapped your arms around the poor owl, to shield it from whatever that woman had in mind.

“I've had it with you!” she said through gritted teeth and clenching her fists. “You don't want to eat? Fine! Starve to death!” she yelled as she walked away towards the kitchen.

Once she was out of view, you began to cradle the poor baby, whispering in its long ears.

“It's ok. She's gone.”

The owl lifted its head, its big eyes mesmerizing you once more. You felt as if you could lose yourself in that golden sea. James and the bugs rushed to check if you were fine, the fall having been quite bad after all, but there were no bruises or pain, just a scared little creature that you felt the need to protect. You got up from the floor with your uncle's help, arms still wrapped around the owl, Hornet on your shoulder curiously studying the bird as she had never seen one so up close which shouldn't come as a surprise. The bugs were wary of the flying animals, knowing that they wouldn't hesitate to eat them, which in turn only served to deepen the princess' curiosity regarding them. Now that she had the chance to be around one, she must confess that she felt quite disappointed. The owl was quite big, almost the size of a 3-year-old human child. With such height, Hornet expected it to be much more fearless but the way it was cowering in your embrace left a bad taste in her mouth.

“Where should I take it?” you asked, gently caressing its back.

Its feathers were so soft.

“First room second floor. Do you mind staying a bit with him? At least until he calms down a little.” Olaf asked, his face looking exhausted and sad.

“Sure.” You replied and headed there, Hornet coming as well since she got tired of listening to the boring conversations of those older than her.

You entered the room which looked like a battlefield with slashed pillows, the floor covered in dry hay and sawdust, car fresheners hanging on the walls to spread the scent of pine trees and other forest-like smells in the air. On the floor there was also a box with dead mice and other vermin that an owl may eat. It was clear that Gertrude and Olaf put a great deal of effort in trying to make that room pleasant for their little guest, but their hard work didn't seem to be well received. Still, there had to be a reason for this melancholy which appeared to have trapped the owl in its nets.

You took a sit on the floor, rocking the little bird back and forth like your mother used to do when you were very young and still scared of storms. It did appear to work at least for a short while, the little one relaxing its grip on you, moving its head and staring at the large window facing the forest. You followed its gaze and remembered what Olaf said when he talked about him. His home had burned down.

“I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm sorry.” You whispered, pressing a kiss against his head.

The blanket and mattress Gertrude provided you with were surprisingly soft, Hornet already claiming a spot beside your pillow with Pale King and Herrah next to her. The Wyrm and Spider had no trust in the owl, actually in any kind of bird, and thus did not want to leave their daughter to sleep alone in the same room as one who might eat her, even if you were there. After seeing the scratches on the old woman's face and arm, they refused to think that you might be safe around him, Radiance even threatening to stab Kuro, the name you gave to the owl, with her swords of light, but you placed yourself between her and him every time. With great reluctance, she and Grimm were also preparing beds for themselves, Grimmchild already beginning to whine out of sleepiness, and pouring his fury on the insufferable leash, much to his father's exasperation.

Kuro was staring out the window the whole time, and you were deeply concerned about him. You feared he might faint in the middle of the night, as he refused to eat anything during the entire day and you also learned that he stopped sleeping, be it light or dark.

“Guess this is it.” Radiance said throwing a quick, worried glance towards the owl.

“Yes. It has been quite an eventful day.” Pale King added, looking at the bird as well.

He couldn't help but sympathise with the poor creature, but that didn't help in easing his fears. The fact of the matter was that that bird was still a predator which could kill them any time. To let down his guard because he was going through a very rough time would have been foolish, even with you by their side.

“In that case, I wish you all goodnight, gentlemen and ladies.” Grimm sais as he bowed to you all, his son dozing off in his arms.

The Troupe Master retreated to his tent, raised in record time by the Grimmkin, Brumm and Divine, whom you hadn't seen all day until that moment, since they had been busy with settling their and the other bug's belonging in a completely different room only to hear that they had to move everything, because you wanted to sleep together with Kuro. Needless to say, that they weren't pleased with it, but didn't complain at all since it was for you, which did make you feel bad about it. You did insist on them leaving you alone, but they absolutely refused. One, because Hornet was stubborn and since she didn't see the owl as a treat denied any attempt made to have her sleep anywhere else other than by your side, and two, because they feared the bird might hurt you for who-knows-what reason. Thus, they were stuck spending the night in the same room as that owl. 

“Good night.” Everyone else said and went to sleep, you giving Kuro one last look before closing your eyes.

The loud club music was ringing in your ears, nearly making them bleed. The scent of alcohol was strongly floating through the air and you felt it try to get to your head even though you stood as far from the drinks table as possible, not even daring to pour yourself a glass of water. The crowd felt suffocating, bodies bouncing up and down on the dance floor, bumping into you who stood close to the walls, feeling nauseous. You wanted to get out of there, but your mother's words kept echoing in your mind. She wanted you to be here until 10 o'clock, to “have fun" with your classmates. If only she knew what sort of club, you were in. You tried to look for any of your classmates, to tell them that you were going outside for a mouth of fresh air which you desperately needed. You found Henry and his girlfriend, Rake, kissing in a corner. You turned your head away, embarrassed and looked for someone else, when you felt another person grabbing your arm. It was none other than Donovan, Henry's best friend and the second in command to those who bullied you relentlessly for an entire 4 years.

“Where you are going?” he asked, the grin on his face sending shivers down your spine.

“Outside. I need some fresh air.” You replied, trying to free your arm.

“Great! Come! There's something I want you to see there.”

He began to drag you after him, the alarm in your head growing stronger and stronger.

He led you to the backyard of the club where a guy was lying on a wooden board while another one on a motorcycle was riding on a ramp, jumping above him, the ones on the sides watching and clapping loudly any time the guy made the jump successfully. Suddenly, Donovan called to everyone's attention, the feeling of dread from earlier demanding you to run now.

“Hey, everyone! Listen up! (Y/N) over here wants to give it a go too!” he said, and you felt the need to scream as the events about to occur came crashing over you.

You wanted to get away from there, but it was too late, as two guys grabbed your arms and pulled you to the now empty ramp.

You knew what was going to happen, the blood, the pain, how they all screamed and run away from the scene knowing just how bad the whole prank had gone leaving you to die. No way you were going through that again. Strengthened by fury, you struggled and shouted for them to let you go, biting the hands that pulled you, but their grip was stronger than you or your teeth. Then, you saw it. The forest with its dark woods and the two yellow orbs, no, eyes, from that morning staring at you just like how an animal stares at its prey. It was trying to get closer, the trees creating a path to you, but just as you were about to scream at it to go away, scarlet flames appeared and began to devour everything in their wake, including the two guys who had been holding you. Terrified and with no strength left to stand up, you crashed into Nightmare King's arms as he appeared just in the nick of time to catch you.

“There, there. Everything's fine now. I'm here.” He said, over and over as you began to sob violently, holding on to him like a frightened child.

Gertrude appeared as well, followed by Radiance and the others. While they were looking after you, trying to calm you down, she stared at what was now a burning forest.

“What was that, Gertrude? What happened to my daughter?” the Moth asked, noticing the woman's silence.

“It seems like your girl over there has picked the interest of a really nasty fellow.” She answered, turning her head to look at the mess you were, still crying in the arms of your grandfather as he cradled you.

No one dared ask anything more, worried that you might break again. Neither of them had seen the memory the creature trapped you in. None but two, rulers of scarlet nightmares, anger and hatred boiling inside them for the people who had dared harm you. The fear you felt as you were being dragged to that board, oh! They will make sure to return it a thousand times.


	31. Kuro. Part 4. Jötunn

Everyone was looking at Gertrude, waiting for her to speak and clarify the mystery of the creature in the forest which, according to her, took an interest in you. It was also quite surprising to see the nasty, old woman behaving so kindly with you now, sitting by your side and trying to calm you down together with Radiance. That was just another sign of how dangerous the whole situation had become. The entire house was awake save for the Grimmchild, who had been spared from the turmoil of the night’s events, nobody wishing to burden the little one with the matters at hand. There had been enough tears for that day. Hornet was sitting on your shoulder, sipping the same strange liquid from that morning which you refused to drink. Apparently, the bugs liked it and it had a calming effect over them, as they couldn't deny having woken pretty shaken from the whole deal. In the end, unable to take the silence any longer, Pale King was the one to speak up, giving voice to the question on everyone's mind.

“Madame Gertrude, what exactly was that creature?”

The answer didn’t come right away, the old woman seeming more concerned about your state of being rather than offering any kind of explanations. Thankfully, you managed to stop shivering, and your tears weren't flowing anymore either. You were much better than before, the fear dying down now that you were awake, away from that presence.

“You better?” she asked, gently stroking your back.

“Y-Yeah.” Came your answer, almost a whisper.

“Good.”

Gertrude's word was followed by another wave of silence, much deeper than before. Just as they were about to turn to Cody who was dozing off in one of the armchairs, tired after a long day of piloting, running, and cooking, by the fire, the old woman began to speak again.

“The creature is a Jötunn. He came a few days ago, and laid claim to the forest. From what me and Olaf found out about him, he’s one of Loki’s children, and not a nice one. He used to have a cult of followers in a forest near Kungsleden, but as far as I know, they all died. That must be the reason why he chose to leave and seek another land to call his own. This forest was once used by outlaws as a hiding place, and even before that, in ancient times, pagans would come here and offer sacrifices to their gods. You can still see the remains of their altars the deeper you are going. I guess, the left-over energies must have attracted him here.”

“But that still doesn’t explain what he wants with (Y/N)?” Radiance complained.

“You’re not going to like this, sweetheart.” Gertrude answered, looking straight at you.

“W-What?”

Your voice trembled as you spoke. You really didn’t want anything to do with that creature.

“You have great pain in your heart, a regret that you couldn’t let go of. Jötunn sensed that and most likely is wishing to turn you into one of his worshipers. He preys on people like you, offering to take their pain away and offer them eternal life in exchange for worshiping him.”

“W-What? N-N-No! I-I d-don’t want to!” you stuttered, getting worked up.

To serve a monster? No way you wanted to do that. That thing was already terrifying the living days out of you. An eternity of pain? Thanks, but no thanks. Jötunn could take his offer and present it to someone else.

“Isn’t there anything we can do to save her?” James asked, regretting having brought you there.

“Of course, there is.” Gertrude placed a hand on your head, her touch and tone calming you down.

Even you were surprised. She had been a jerk to you all day long, yet now she was acting like a real mother trying to comfort her child after they had a nightmare. This nice side of hers left you completely dumbfounded, the confusion, far stronger than Jötunn’s threat.

“There are ways to keep the creature away. Now, go to sleep and don’t worry. He won’t come anywhere near you tonight. Unless he’s a masochist who likes to get burned.” Gertrude said and gave you a smile.

She helped you get up and after telling James to take Olaf and Cody back to their rooms, escorted you back to your own.

“Thanks…and sorry.” you said as the two of you were climbing the stairs to Kuro’s room.

“Sorry for what?”

“I’ve been quite rude to you today. So…”

“Forget about that. Water under the bridge. Ok? Though I should also apologize. I know I can be a jackass most of the time.”

Gertrude’s confession left both you and the bugs flabbergasted. You tried to find the words to say, sensing the sadness in her tone. You began feeling like a jerk, having been so harsh on her for the entire day. Now that you were seeing the sweet side of her, you couldn’t help but feel more sympathy towards this old woman. And you weren’t the only one. The Higher Beings were also more lenient in their judgement towards Gertrude. Truth be told, they were secretly quite fond of her, each in their own way, Pale King for her devotion to her duty as a protector of the supernatural creatures of the land, Grimm for her devotion to her brother and Radiance for her righteousness. What they hated most at her was her recklessness, which endangered her own life. James told them about the times she nearly died trying to save some poor soul, unfortunate enough to have angered the faeries in their ignorance. Deep inside, she was a nice person, but she failed to show it.

Once you were in front of the door, the two of you separated, her heading to her own room, in the opposite side of the hallway. You got in, ready to fall asleep again, Radiance promising you that she will take you in her own dream, to keep you safe. You smiled and thanked her, your eyes looking for Kuro, to see if he was alright. You felt bad for leaving him alone, completely forgetting about the owl until then. You found him sitting in the same spot he was before you closed your eyes and got pulled into Jötunn’s spell. A feeling of pity and sadness took over you, seeing the poor creature frozen in place, still staring out the window and dreaming of the home he once had.

“Hey, sweetie.” you said and approached him.

Kuro didn’t bother to look at you, too deep in his own sorrow and who could blame him. You gently caressed the small creature and pressed a kiss on his head, wishing him good night before going back to sleep. Just as she promised, Radiance made sure to keep you by her side the entire time, together with Pale King, both keeping an eye out for the creature, ready to spot any attempt he might have made to attack you again.

Moder looked at the window, watching the girl playing with the owl and then disappearing behind the wall. He was right, there was pain in her heart, a scar that would remain inside her soul for life. The scent of sorrow was strong around her, it picked his interest the moment she set her feet on the ground, away from that insufferable metallic bird. At first, he wanted to go and frighten that boy for daring to disturb his rest, but what he found instead was pleasing enough to earn the Jötunn’s forgiveness. Those (eye/color) ed eyes, they held in themselves a pain so deep, a fear that she tried to deny. It was well hidden, too. One of the bugs around her, Moder could feel something, a presence of divine nature inside of him, not as powerful as him, but still. There were two others of the same kind as him, who did not feel the need to enclose themselves in another being, but the Jötunn care not for them. The black one… he had a strange power, one akin to the creature’s, to manipulate the fear in one’s heart. Yet, he didn’t seem like he wanted to have the girl worship him at all. How that could be, Modes couldn’t understand. Was being worshiped not every god’s desire? Was there greater pleasure than having humans adore them? Shower them with praise? That was what his father and the others taught him from the moment of his birth. However, that actually worked to his advantage. If that bug didn’t want to turn that girl into his believer, than he will gladly take her.

That night, all he wanted was too peer into that pain, to see its source, find out more, but he made a mistake. He was too overjoyed, seeing how frightened she was, what a worshiper she would be. His spell weakened and that black bug, now red and his appearance slightly changed, interfered, burning the memory to nothing and chasing him away.

Although he was mad at the disruption, Moder was satisfied with what he currently had. After seeing the girl one last time, he returned to the forest, his new home, planning his next move. She will come to him; he was sure of it. The owl was the key. There was great pain in him as well, but the Jötunn had no interest in having animals worship him. Still, he knew what the bird’s deepest desire was and that was all that he needed, and patience which he had thanks to growing up in the most dysfunctional family in the entire world. He still recalled his sister’s lengthy complains to him, the hours he had to spend listening to her cry thanks to being teased by their other siblings. Now, he had the patience of a saint, as humans used to say. And it served him well.

There was a thing that bothered him though. Before he left the dream, he saw something, a thing so strange he didn’t know what to make of it. Still, he tried to ignore it. To have his mind clouded by useless thoughts now could result in further ruin for him and that was unacceptable…and yet…he couldn’t stop wondering…would that girl…no! He had to forget it and focus on what needed to be done. Get himself a new worshiper.

The scent of herbs was strong and not peasant at all. It even put Gertrude’s concoction’s to shame. She said creatures like Jötunn hated that smell but getting it into your skin was only the first step. After completing that, the second phase began.

You watched strange, sharp symbols take form on your arm, dark ink left behind by Gertrude’s pen. It didn’t hurt at all, rather, the sharp tip tickled you as it passed over your skin. Radiance, Pale King and Herrah were curiously watching the process, the Wyrm asking questions now and then about the seal.

“It’s an old rite which keeps evil spirits away. With this, the Jötunn won’t be able to get inside your mind ever again. The ink unfortunately is not permanent.” Gertrude explained, as she kept writing.

“It really doesn’t look like normal ink.” you commented, noticing the blackness of the lines.

It also seemed denser, not as liquid as normal ink.

“Yep. This is actually a special kind, used in the ancient times by pagans in their rites. I had James make it while you were in the bathroom.” she explained.

“Come to think of it, where are the others?” you asked, realizing just how silent the house was.

You knew Grimm was taking care of his child and Hornet, preventing them from bothering Kuro while you were away, helped by Brumm and Divine, but the rest’s whereabouts were a mystery.

“Olaf is down with Ace. Since he’s blind, someone needs to be with him most of the time. James and Cody are out doing some shopping. How was Kuro? Did he bother you?”

“No. He’s very calm, but I wish he’d eat something.” you said, taken by surprise again by Gertrude’s attitude.

After her lashing out at the owl the day before, you thought she didn’t care for him anymore.

“Yeah. Ever since Cody found him and brought him here, he refused to eat anything. I tried to force him a few times. You saw how that turned out.” Gertrude replied.

Your eyes fell on the scars on her face and arm, marks left by the scared owl. You didn’t blame Kuro for what he had done. He was terrified after all and the woman agreed. She didn’t fault the bird either, though she felt bad for the poor thing. She had good intentions, but her actions were a little…questionable.

The bugs on the other hand, were not so kind in judging the owl. Despite all your reassurance, they refused to believe that bird was not dangerous. Pale King especially had a certain…history with a sparrow from the time he was still in his Wyrm form. While he came out victorious each time, dealing with it put a lot of stress on the White Monarch. No wonder he was so adamant in you abandoning that creature, no matter how much you tried to convince him that owls like Kuro did not eat insects and he had plenty other food like dead mice and rats. It was all in vain, the King did not change his mind, but you still refused to leave the little one.

Radiance didn’t care so much for being eaten, confident in her fighting skills, just like Herrah. What bothered her though was what the owl could do to you. One look at those claws was enough to tell that the bird had strength and human skin was so soft and frail, completely shell less. All that it needed to do was wrap one of his talons around your arm with little force and you would start to bleed. No way she wanted that, but just like her brother who was unable to say no most of the time to his own child, she couldn’t deny you to at least be in his presence when she saw the happiness in your eyes.

Herrah was ok with the owl, though she had her own concerns. That bird might not be interested in eating bugs, but she knew that once Hornet was interested in something, she could become downright annoying, much to her mother’s dismay. Though she hated to admit it, there was nothing to be gained in hiding her daughter’s flaws. Just like her father, she had to satisfy her curiosity no matter what others told her to do. While most weren’t bothered by it, no one was crazy enough to scold the princess and risk the wrath of both Spider and Wyrm fall upon them, that owl might actually harm her and that was unacceptable. Thus she was on the same side with Pale King regarding the matter.

“Ok. You’re ready.” Gertrude said once she was done. 

You looked at your arm now decorated with weird symbols that you usually see in a horror movie in abandoned places where supposedly, evil sacrifices had been made. You gulped, trying not to think of what your mother might say were she to see you like that. She freaked out once when she found a paper with different languages from D&D, calling them satanic and what not. If she knew what was on your arm now all hell would break loose.

“Thanks.” you said and pulled your sleeve back down.

“Don’t thank me. It’s the least I can do. Now, you need to take care of it. The ink will come off when it comes in contact with water, which is not bad while you’re in the house, because I can always draw it back on, but in case you go outside, you need to be careful.”

“With that thing lurking around, I doubt I’ll go outside.” you tried to joke, but the harsh truth was that you had no courage to go, even with the all the things you did to keep him away from you.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” Gertrude said, before gathering her stuff and leaving to put them in their place.

You got up from the couch, the warmth of the fireplace having already turned your cheeks red. With the bugs o your shoulder, you headed to Kuro’s room, where Grimm had put on a show to keep the small children busy and not bother the owl. You greeted him and as Pale King and Herrah joined their daughter to watch the show, you approached Kuro with the Radiance. He didn’t bother looking at you, not even when you began to talk to it and stroke his feathers, gaze still locked at the forest outside. He looked so weak and sad; you could hardly contain your tears.

You looked around for the box with dead mice and after you found it, you took one intending to try and make the little one eat. Feeling the rodent’s limp body in your hand send a shiver down your spine. It was so weird and somewhat saddening to do this. You had nothing against mice. Rats freaked you out, indeed, but their smaller cousins were cute. Still, the cycle of life was what it was and there was nothing you could do.

You brought the mouse to Kuro who gave it a short look before his gaze returned to the window.

“Come on, sweetie. You must eat something. Please?”

Your words fell on deaf ears. The owl didn’t seem to care about anything anymore, depression holding him tight in its clutches. You sighed, Radiance getting angrier and angrier. How could that thing ignore the kindness and concern shown? Just how self-absorbed was he? How lucky he was that you would never forgive her for harming him, or else her swords would have pierced him long ago. Did he even know that? If only she would have had someone by her side after her moths abandoned, her. Maybe then, nothing would have happened. The Infection, the vessels, all that pain and grief. Perhaps it all could have been avoided if only someone showed her a shred of the kindness and love you do. That thought only deepened her aversion towards the bird.

You looked at the window, trying to think of anything you could do to help him. Suddenly, you thought of the Jötunn and his promise to take one’s pain away. No! No way you’ll go anywhere near that thing! How could you even consider it?!

You approached the curtain, wanting to close it when Kuro became agitated, fluttering his wings and letting out distressed noises.

“You don’t want me to close it?” you asked him, but you already knew the answer.

He nodded and calmed down.

An idea creeped into your mind, but it was so reckless…still, if Cody or James were with you, it might work.

“Kuro. If you eat, I promise to take you to the forest in two days. How about that? Deal?”

The effect was massive. Everyone looked at you, Grimm and his troupe stopping their performance, while Radiance nearly fell down from the shock. Pale King was struggling to regain his voice and Herrah was holding Hornet from running to you and demand to go right then. Kuro, unlike everyone else was overjoyed, nodding so fast you feared he might get dizzy and fall.

“Ok. Then eat first.” you said, satisfied with the result and handing him the dead mouse.

A feeling of joy took over your heart, overshadowing the concern and fear as Kuro finally took the food and began to eat, demanding more as hunger took over, now that the sadness had eased up, allowing other sensations to invade his being.

“Are-are you out of your mind?!” Pale King finally screamed.

“No. Why?” you asked, but you already knew the answer. “Look I know it’s a bad idea…”

“BAD IDEA?!” Everyone screamed in unison.

“I won’t be alone! Someone will have to be with me, of course. And honestly, given how bad I smell, I doubt he will want to get anywhere near me.” you said, and everyone tried to look anywhere else, avoiding your gaze.

Yeah, you stunk that bad. Well, no matter. Whatever they said, you made a promise to Kuro and you will see to it. If going into that forest would have helped the owl than fine. You will take the risk and not even one of Loki’s children will stop you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone meet Moder (ain't he awesome?), the monster from the movie "The Ritual" (Great movie. Not really horror, but scary anyway. Do recomend.) I claim no ownership over him. All credit goes to the creators of the movie and book. In this fic, I changed his personality a bit more, because I can and want too.


	32. Kuro. Part 5. The storm

Ace leaned into your touch, longing to feel the warmth of your skin, while he still could before the stench pushed him to succumb under the water once more. Even Olaf was holding a handkerchief over his nose, trying to make small jokes here and there, to ease the atmosphere. You looked at him and tried to force a smile. It’s been was evening and you still didn’t know how to bring up the promise to Kuro up with anyone other than the bugs. They refused to talk about it too, fearing that Gertrude might encourage this madness and since you didn’t have the courage to do it yourself, they hoped you will give up on it. Yet, you had no intention to do so. The sparkle in the owl’s eyes was too precious to just let it die. It wasn’t only joy in it, but also gratefulness, like a child seeing his deepest wish come true. You knew how much it hurt to have that glimmer of hope crushed. This time however, the stakes were higher. Were you to let him down, you knew Kuro will never trust you ever again and the depression will be back in full and worse than before. No. You will respect your word, and that Jötunn be damned if he did anything to ruin that. No questions asked, you will throw punches.

“Something on your mind, child?” Olaf asked, noticing your mused state.

“Oh? Nothing. Just trying to deal with the scent.” half-true.

Really, if Ogrim was there he would compliment you again on the “lovely scent”. No offense taken, but to be complimented by a dung beetle regarding your scent was… not quite pleasant.

“Don’t mind it too much, I smelled worse at my time. Once, I had to follow a goblin down an old sewer pipe, because he stole something from me. Wow! The stench in that place was enough to make all your hair fall off. Gertrude had me sleep outside for an entire week and was throwing water in me all the day.”

“Thanks.” you said, trying to keep up the lie.

Your mind was busy, trying to find someone to come along with you in the forest. James was out of the question as he wouldn’t have allowed such an expedition. He would have definitely been on the bugs’ side. There was Gertrude but you feared she might actually try to find the Jötunn to see if the protection actually worked. Although you were determined not to turn back even with his threat, you did not want to run into him at all. Olaf was busy taking care of Ace who began to yearn for company more and more. That meant the only option left then was Cody. His position on the matter was still unknown to you as he didn’t comment the night when the creature attacked you for the first time, too tired to even keep his eyes open. You had to try though, as out of everyone he seemed like the best choice.

“How is Kuro?” Olaf asked, bringing you back to reality.

“He’s sleeping now. That reminds me. Do you know where I can get more food for him? I’m afraid the mice box is empty.”

“Oh! Is that so? You managed to make him eat and sleep? That’s amazing! Just ask Gertrude for the food, ok? I was so worried about the little one. Thank you, (Y/N).” Olaf said smiling brightly.

It was obvious that he meant it, that Kuro’s state truly did eat away at him. It felt good to know that the owl was so loved, but sad for the depression didn’t allow him to see how much others cared for him. You hoped the trip in the woods will help him escape its grasp, but until then, you had to hold on.

After spending some more time with Olaf and Ace, you returned to the living room, where you found Pale King playing a game of chess with Gertrude, James and the rest of the bugs were watching them, eagerly awaiting to see the winner. Despite her appearance, the old woman was an avid chess player, taking part in various contests as both spectator and participant. The game between those two was quite intense. Other than Grimm and Monomon, nobody was actually able to stand his ground against the Wyrm in games like chess. To find someone that could go toe to toe with the White Monarch was quite impressive, thus Gertrude had everyone’s full attention.

You passed by, heading to the kitchen from where the scent of fried beans and meat was coming, making your stomach growl in hunger. You had to admit that you were quite impressed by Cody’s skills. He was able to both cook and pilot planes. So far, he seemed like a pretty decent guy, a bit naïve for some reason, but nice, nonetheless. You knocked at the door and entered, finding Cody hovering over a boiling pot, pouring finely grinded vegetables into the mix. He was humming a lively tune as he worked, sweat covering his brow from the heat inside the room. The sink was full of dishes that needed to be washed, but the table was quite clean, sign that he wasn’t a messy chef.

“Shouldn’t you open the window? It might help.”

Hearing your voice, Cody jumped up in a scare, letting out the highest pitched scream you ever heard. He turned to you in a hurry, eyes open wide, his face all white. You were startled too, not expecting him to react like that. You raised your hands in front of you, a sign of peace.

“Sorry. I really didn’t want to scare you.” you apologized.

“Oh…I’m sorry…I…I just get… I get easily distracted when I do something I like and get scared when someone interrupts me.” he said, rubbing the back of his head and avoiding your gaze.

“Sorry. Didn’t know that. I-I’ll be more careful next time.” you said, quite embarrassed.

“Nah. It’s my fault. Anyway, you ok?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah. I’m good. Need any help?”

“Only if you want to wash dishes. Otherwise, it’s ok.” he answered, gesturing to the filled sink.

“Sure.”

You headed to the sink and turned it on, searching for the sponge, which was at the very bottom, under a few plates, while he went to mince some more meat on the table, his back turned to yours. You proceeded to wash them as you thought about ways to let him know what you wanted to do. You were on the third plate when Cody spoke again.

“I’m really sorry.

“Pardon?” you said, rotating your head to look at his back.

“I mean, the whole deal with the Jötunn. I knew he might have taken an interest in you. I should have warned you. I’m really sorry.” he apologized, turning to meet your gaze.

His words were sincere, empathy and regret reflecting in his eyes. His gaze was well meant, but you couldn’t stand to be pitied, not since then. You turned your head away, trying to hide the irritation.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. He could have targeted James too, you know. My uncle has his fair share of emotional baggage.” you said, not exactly sure of how much of that was true, but you wanted Cody to stop apologizing. “Besides,” you continued “thanks to that me and Gertrude are close now. Just like they say, there’s something good in every bad situation.”

Cody sighed and returned to his work. You really were an interesting one, not plain at all. But was that for the better? Or the worse?

“That’s true. Still, if it wasn’t for him, you could have walked through the forest just fine. There are so many things to see, you know. There are many ponds with red water lilies and they’re worth seeing.” he continued, and you saw your chance.

“Actually, I think I can… if you’re willing to come with me that is.” you said, accentuating the last part.

“Wait! You mean it?” Cody said, abandoning his work and turning to look at you again.

You felt his gaze piercing your neck.

“Yes. I won’t let that thing keep me in here as if I’m some prisoner. I will go out and I will have my fun!” you said, turning to stare him straight in the eyes and stomping your foot down, to strengthen your words.

“Yeah, I get it, but…”

“I’m no fool, Cody. That’s why I’m asking you to come with me. By myself, I’m an easy target, but if there’s someone with me, I will take the chance. So, how about it? Do we have a deal?” you said and reached out a hand.

Cody looked at you and then at your hand, a smile running across his lips as he pondered your offer. There were high risks, he was well aware, but to keep you locked in that house wasn’t fair to you. Truth be told, even if you were alone, the Jötunn might actually hesitate to approach you given your…odor. Still, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if he knew you were to be by yourself with the creature. He had the feeling you had no intention to share your plans with the rest. They would have stopped you for sure. Thus, if something were to happen to you, he was the only one who knew. Confidently, he shook your hand, asking:

“When do you want to go?”

“The day after tomorrow. How does that sound?” you said, trying not to jump of joy.

“Perfect.” Cody smiled, but his happiness didn’t last as the scent of burning food invaded the air.

In a second, he ran to the pot which was seconds away from catching fire and removed it with his naked hands off the oven and onto the table, screaming the whole time and you rushed to get the first aid kit from the bathroom, hoping that that wasn’t an ill omen.

The sky which had been clear just an hour ago, was now heavily clouded, the thunder deafening the critters bellow with its screams and the lighting illuminating the world each time it appeared. In a matter of seconds, the drops of water began to cut the air with fury in their descension to the ground.

Moder wasn’t bothered, heading to see his future worshiper again. He ignored the rain falling around him, yet not one droplet touched the Jötunn’s skin thanks to his magic. A poor use of his ability to manipulate the space around him, but neither his siblings nor father were there to tease him for it, even if they themselves used their powers for much meaningless matters. Strange. Lately, he found himself thinking of his family quite often, way more than usual. Was this because he had no more worshipers to keep him busy? Maybe. Loki always claimed boredom did strange things to their kind after all. Yeah, that had to be it. Moder was just feeling dull. That was all. Nothing more.

Still, that was about to change. He thought he could wait for her to come to him, but he was wrong. Tired of the monotony of the days, he decided to at least go and check on her, make sure she hadn’t run away somewhere. After what happened last time when he tried to gain a new worshiper, a man whom he misjudged and who ended up destroying the elders of his cult, the Jötunn decided to be more careful.

Ah! The elders. He recalled each and every one of them, their initiation, the moment they kneeled in front of him. Rage filled his heart when he sensed their departure from that world, making him slaughter the rest of his cult. It was unbearable. He asked two things of them. Only TWO. To worship him and protect the first ones. In exchange, he offered them immortality and protection. Yet, the young ones failed him greatly, allowing that man to burn the elders whose bodies decayed with the pass of time, as his powers couldn’t save them from the curse of aging. Even if they didn’t die, their bodies still grew old and weak. A sad fact, that he could only accept.

However, now he won’t do the same mistake. He will be more careful. He will test her once more. If she passed, he will welcome her with open arms, if not… hard to say what was about to come. The thing he saw, it came back to him, a feeling he never experienced before brewing inside him. He chased it away. No need for additional problem. There were enough matters to take care of already.

He was at the cabin now, another lighting sticking through the sea of clouds, which gave Moder an idea. He looked at one of the windows and what he found did not let him down. The girl was awake, by the owl’s side, patting and talking to it. Though he couldn’t hear her words, the Jötunn knew that she cared for the bird. He saw that behavior many times, both at his worshipers and the other strangers which were unfortunate enough to pass through his old home. Those were the actions of someone who cared about another. The depth of her feelings he couldn’t tell, unfortunately. However, he was ready to bet everything on this plan. He had nothing left to lose after all.

He waited for the girl to get away from the window, not wanting her to get harmed and then he stroke.

Another lighting came, followed by the sound of shattered glass and screams from inside that room. Just as Moder expected, the bird flew away into the forest, towards its old home, after a few minutes of hesitation which had him on edge. Now, he had to wait for her.

“You can’t go there!” James screamed.

“Please child! Stop this madness!” Pale King begged as well while Radiance was desperately trying to wake the others up.

If Grimm and Herrah hadn’t been busy with trying to calm down their own children, they would have helped in trying to stop you, but the sudden lighting which broke the window frightening the little ones, even Hornet, to tears. That was clearly a trap. Everyone could see that, even you. But you couldn’t care less.

Your uncle tried to stop you, but you slipped past him and ran towards the door. Kuro ran away and you couldn’t shake the bad feeling that took hold of your heart. Something bad was about to happen and you just couldn’t sit around and do nothing. You opened the door and got out, ignoring the desperate screams behind you, begging you to stop. You ran into the night, the rain whipping your face and skin, washing away both the scent meant to keep the Jötunn away, but also the ink on your arm.

You were defenseless.


	33. Kuro. Part 6. To let go

For how long you ran, you couldn’t tell. Your clothes were soaked, the short-sleeved pajama T-shirt glued to your skin, and the symbols completely gone, and the ink washed away by the falling rain. You couldn’t even be sure if your eyes stung from the water drops, or the tears you couldn’t hold in anymore. You were pretty deep into the forest and yet, you found no signs of Kuro anywhere. Despair began to seep its way to your heart, as your strength was leaving your body. Your lungs burned and you felt like you didn’t have enough air, your muscles demanding rest. Exhausted and crying, you feel on your hands and knees, fighting to breath faster. You felt a scream try to escape your chest, but you had no power to shout.

Suddenly, no more rain showered you with its tears. You weren’t alone anymore. The Jötunn was beside you, together with the people from that day, their eyes, dizzy from the alcohol, unaware of what was going on around them. In front of you, the sound of engine and cheers, maddening laughter that felt so empty. You knew what was happening even if your eyes was still staring at the mire beneath you, hands clenching into fists as you felt your body freezing in fear. You were angry. You were scared. You knew what was about to occur, what had to be done, but despite wishing to, your body refused to give in to your orders. You were staying there, cowering in fright, unable to move.

That was when you felt the Jötunn come closer to you, a cold hand touching your cheek and forcing you to look up, straight at him. For the first time, you saw the monster in all its glory. It was a tall, elk-like creature with plant matter growing on its grey skin. Its head was like a human torso with deer antlers for hands and at the base, there was another pair of hands and the same eyes you saw so far, glowing in the darkness. Those orbs… they expressed no ill intent, but a rather frightening happiness. He thought he won.

Moder couldn’t be happier. He hadn’t been wrong. This girl was far too frightened to fight back, unlike that man. She will bow to him and worship him, for was there other choice? Her pain was one of a kind, one he rarely stumbled upon. The fear of death which she experienced first-hand, the regret of not fighting back, the anger of being abandoned and left to fate’s whims, all those were like a wonderful drink inviting him to drink it. Could he have asked for a better worshiper? Oh! He remembered. The first ones…they came to him on their own.

Suddenly, he felt the need to scream. W-Why? Why did he recall those days now of all times? Memories of the time he spend with the very first one, a child, rushed to his mind. Back then, for a long time, it was only the two of them and he didn’t need to keep him there by force, by using his emotions and fear. No. He wanted to worship him, a son of Loki and maybe that was why the Jötunn liked to stay with him day after day. It was…nice. Those memories were quickly replaced by another and he saw it again. This girl holding onto the Scarlet One, like a child finding refuge in their parent’s embrace, like the first one did so many times whenever he was scared. Moder…missed that.

He wanted true worship, true adoration. The sacrifices the young ones gave him were empty, devoid of feelings of any sort. They only wanted one thing of him. Immortality. But other than that? Were another to come and offer them the same thing, Moder had no doubt they would have abandoned him. The first ones were sincere in their adulation. That was what the Jötunn yearned for. Maybe even more. Faces of his family and the elders came back to him, and then, the bond between this girl and the Scarlet one, a connection he once had as well and only now, did he realize how much he longed for.

The creature seemed deep in thought, paying you no mind. Whatever he was concerned about mattered not for you. After having gained control of your body, you glanced towards the wooden rack. It was empty, the motorcycle waiting for someone to lay there, to jump again, the driver feel the adrenaline course trough the veins. Then, you looked at the faces of those who were present. Some you recognized, some have bullied you or simply looked-away, but others were just bystanders having come to have a good time. They continued to laugh and dance, demanding another fool to take the risk.

You swallowed a node in your throat, the fear demanding you to stay, but the anger screaming at you to take action. Slowly, you released your self from the Jötunn’s grab. He flinched, sensing your hands around his arm and gently pushing it away. Still, he didn’t oppose it. He quietly watching you get up and head towards the board, cheers and laughter exploding all around you. With shaking feet, you approached the board, every single instinct telling you to run, but the fate awaiting you wasn’t one you were willing to accept. And there was Kuro. You had to get away, you had to run and find him, having wasted enough time here.

You laid on the board, feeling your heart beat relentlessly, memories of last time rushing to your head, adrenaline pumping through your veins like crazy. You couldn’t fall prey to fear, especially not now. You squeezed your eyes shut, hearing the engine roar and sound of wheels getting closer and closer. After a few seconds, you felt it, the air splitting in half above you, but there was no more pain, no more blood gushing out in a craze, and you fighting for dear life. No. You opened your eyes to the claps of whistles signifying the success of the act. You did it.

You faced your fear and lived, a feeling of relief washing over you. Such a mere act, yet it meant so much. Of course, this was a mere illusion, the past had not changed. But even so, you felt the chains of that day finally break and disappear, allowing you to breath freely, the shadow following you around, one you tried so hard to ignore, gone at last.

You got up and watched the ones around you, no more hatred brewing in your heart as you scanned each face. Not even Donovan’s. What they did, abandoning you when you needed help the most, was still unforgivable, but it no longer bothered you. Forgive and forget, do not linger on a past you couldn’t change. Move on. There was no reason for these regrets to darken the light of the days ahead.

You finally looked to the Jötunn, who was standing still, like a perfect statue. His gaze expressed nothing, no remorse, no sorrow at loosing you, a potential worshiper, which honestly, quite surprised you. Little did you know, your amazement was nothing compared to his.

She faced her fear, obtaining release from the shackles of dread and regret. She no longer was qualified to become one of his devotees. Strangely, Moder felt nothing at this, or at least, he didn’t feel what he was expecting. Last time, when that man slipped through his fingers, he was enraged at the loss, but now he was somewhat…relieved. The Jötunn couldn’t say exactly why, but suddenly, the idea of creating another cult didn’t interest him at all. Rather, he didn’t want one anymore. But isn’t that what every deity wants? But his siblings, the snake and the wolf, didn’t have any followers. But Loki said…?! To hell with what that darned old man! Moder’s emotions and thoughts were a mess, rain beginning to fall upon his body as he was losing control of his spell. He needed to be alone.

He turned around and left, leaving the girl all alone and to look for the owl, heading deep into the forest, to make order in his troubled mind.

You watched the Jötunn leave, confused for a few seconds, before the cold shower brought you back to reality. You wasted enough time. You had to find Kuro and fast. You began to run again, your strength returned anew. The little information you had about the bird’s home proved of little help. You knew it burned down, but looking after charred trees in that darkness was like searching for a needle in a hay stack. Every single one of them was had bark black as 

the night and you didn’t even know which way to go. You were running aimlessly, screaming Kuro’s name for what felt like an eternity. Perhaps you shouldn’t have let the creature go. With his help, you might have been able to find the little one faster. But “should have” had no place here, not now.

You stopped, fighting to catch your breath and call Kuro, as you inhale the much-needed air.

That was when you heard it. A faint screech, akin to a cry echoing not far from you. You wasted no second, rushing to the direction the sound came from and you saw him.

Lying on the ground, Kuro was covered with fallen leaves and broken twigs were emerging through his feathers, one of his wings stretched out and when a lightning struck, illuminating the sky, crimson liquid shone under the silver light. There was no doubt about it. His wing was broken, and he was in need of medical attention. You speeded up towards him, tears streaming down your face. How long has he been there? Alone and scared. You kneeled by his side, trying to comfort the small baby, and soothe his cries, as you picked him up in your arms, each movement causing him pain. But what else could you do? Leaving him there and waiting for help was a straight-out no.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Just a bit more! I beg you, endure just a bit more.” you cried as you caressed his back.

Once he was in your embrace, Kuro buried his head into your chest, trying to muffle his screams of pain, his broken wing hanging limp by his body as you tried not to touch it as to not cause him more sorrow. The sight broke your heart. Swallowing your tears, you began to run towards the edge of the forest, knowing full well that the trees would only hinder you should you chose to take that path. Unfortunately, fate was not in your favor.

The terrain became more and more abrupt the further you went, making you realize the horrible truth of having gotten lost. You cussed out in anger, once you reached the top of a small hill and discovered your foolishness. You turned to go back, but as you were descending and near the base, in your rush not paying attention to where your foot landed, and thus, you slipped. The next thing you felt was an excruciating pain in your left ankle, followed by Kuro struggling in your arms, alarmed by the scream you let out. You tried to calm him down, but despair was once more happily inviting itself into your heart as you tried to get up, only to be met with another wave of anguish. You released a stream of profanities as you realized your mobility was compromised. You couldn’t run anymore, forced to stay there and wait for someone to save you.

Still, sitting and doing nothing, just waiting for someone to find you and take you and Kuro to shelter, getting soaked by the pouring rain in the meantime was unacceptable. You had to at least get out of that damned storm. You looked around frantically, once more a lighting providing a little bit of hope, when it illuminated a cave nearby. Thanking God, you got up, trying your best not to scream again. The owl was troubled enough as he was, no need to add more to his sorrow. Limping your way to the cave, you got in, thankful for managing to at least find shelter, but the hard part had only begun.

The wait was pure torture. Although the pain in your ankle alleviated, Kuro was getting worse. His body was burning like a chimney and the wound in his wing was yet to stop bleeding. You laid him on the cold ground and noticing a patch of moss on one of the trees nearby, you went to grab it, struggling with each step, nearly slipping and falling a few times. You’ve read about how that plant prevented infections in the book James gave you for your birthday. Luckily, the bark was weak, eaten by termites and other critters, thus you easily tore it apart. After returning to the cave, you placed the part covered in moss on the wound, looking around for anything you could tie it with, but fate had shown you enough mercy as it was. You kept the bark there, caressing Kuro’s feathers and soothing him to sleep, occasionally looking at the pouring storm outside, no signs of movement, not even a scream managing to find its way to you.

You began to cry again, unable to control yourself anymore, praying with all your power for Kuro to make it. As you were about to scream in despair, he appeared, the sound of those heavy steps strangely providing relief. You looked at him, the irony of the situation nearly stealing a maddening laughter from your lips. Had he come to finish you off? Or try to persuade you into worshiping him once more? Oh, who cared what happened to you? Still, you placed yourself between him and the owl. He was free to harm you but were he to lay even one finger on Kuro, you were ready to throw punches.

Moder looked at the girl confused. She was the last person he expected to find. He though she already found her owl and went back home, but judging from the situation, thing hadn’t worked out so smoothly. He noticed her swollen ankle and the owl’s weird wing, and then he realized what might have happened and why she was still there, hiding in some cave and not back home with her family. Sighing, he got down on all four legs in front of the cave, his spell preventing the rain from touching him once more. He motioned her to approach him, but the only thing he received was a confused look. Not that he could blame her. Such actions were unbecoming of him and his kin, at least in his brethren’s opinion, but none of them were there so screw that, he could do what he wanted. Though why he wished that, he couldn’t tell for sure. Maybe it was because he wanted to have the forest to himself…or maybe because he was tired of death or maybe there was something else at play, something he couldn’t understand. Regardless of the reason, he was going to help her get out of there, that…if she stopped wasting his time and got on already.

You didn’t know what to do. Trusting the Jötunn wasn’t exactly easy as you had no idea what his intentions were, but a decision had to be made. In the end, you decided to bite the bullet. If he was going to try anything, then you were in for a fight. You had two older sisters after all. You knew how to kick ass.

Holding Kuro tight to your chest, you limped your way to the creature looking at the spikes running along his spine.

“Um…I don’t really want to be rude, but there’s no way I can sit on those.” you said, a small shiver running down your back.

With a sigh, the creature shifted his appearance, making the spikes disappear. You looked at him, your confusion growing with each second. Why was he doing this?

“T-Thank you.” you said and climbed on, with the Jötunn’s help.

As soon as you were on, he got up and began to walk through the forest, leading you to safety.

You were silent, not knowing exactly what to say. This creature has been scaring the living days out of you until not long ago, forcing you to relieve the most traumatic experience in your life not once but twice. Yet now, he was helping you. You couldn’t understand what he was thinking at all. However, thanks to him, you could look back at that day without fear, without anger suffocating you. Before, you couldn’t help but cower whenever anyone asked about it, feeling disgust at the scar on your stomach for it was a constant reminder of the pain. But now its meaning was lost. You no longer felt the need to hide it, to get rid of it, the thought of having it for your entire life filling you with shame. Now it was just a scar. Nothing more, nothing less. You never realized how good it felt to let go of all that emotional baggage which you only ignored, never caring that it only got bigger and bigger with each passing day, like an infection spreading through your insides. It felt like taking a breath of fresh air after being locked in a room with no windows for a very long time, like taking a cold shower during a canicular day of summer. This creature might have tormented you, but you couldn’t deny the gratitude you owned him.

“Thank you for helping me move on.” you said.

How long has it been since he had been thanked? Especially since someone actually meant it. Far too long. Moder could count on one hand the times a mortal showed him gratitude in a sincere way, and he had to admit that it didn’t feel bad. The girl’s words took him by surprise, but he didn’t let it show. He continued to walk, for what else could he do? He knew now that what he longed for; she wouldn’t provide. Without fear or trauma to make her stay, she was free to leave anytime. He had no means to make her stay by his side and killing her…he had enough of that too. Well, no matter. There were plenty of fools in the world that he could trap and have worshiped him. Letting one go meant nothing.

The sound of wolves barking pulled him back to reality. Oh! Great! He ran into that crazy old woman.

“(Y/N)!” Gertrude yelled as she saw you on the monster’s back.

She took out her shotgun, aiming straight at his face, ready to shoot were the Jötunn to make any weird moves. Her wolves already surrounded him, growling and throwing menacing glances towards him.

It was a blessing when they finally were able to enter the forest, protected by the creature’s magic, preventing any to disturb him as he was testing you once more. She, James and Cody separated, hoping that like that they’d be able to find you faster which obviously worked, but not how she hoped.

Moder was ready to attack. A mere gun did no harm to him, but since last time, he began to take it personal. He also had never been one to turn down a fight when provoked. 

“Gertrude, I’m fine!” you yelled, waving one of your hands. “He’s been helping me! I strained my ankle and couldn’t walk, so he brought me here!”

You sensed the tense spirits and didn’t want to see any fight unleash between these two. Not to mention Kuro truly needed medical care now. To waste any more time only put the little one’s life in more danger.

Thankfully, Gertrude noticed the bird and the poor state he was in. She lowered her gun and made room for the Jötunn to pass, giving him a menacing look as he passed by her.

“I expect a full explanation later.” she said so coldly, you shivered at her tone.

“Y-Yes madame.”

Moder let out a chuckle at your trembling voice, though he could understand your fright. That rotten hag scared him as well sometimes because darn! was she insane!


	34. Kuro. Part 7. Dance and sing

You were reading a book, Kuro sleeping soundly in your lap as you were caressing his feathers with one hand. His wing and your ankle had fully healed thanks to Gertrude’s knowledge and ever since the storm, he had been doing much, much better. He still missed his home, but that it wasn’t as bad as before. Just like you, he chose to move on and enjoy the new days he was blessed with.

“Can I turn the page?” you asked.

The Jötunn nodded and you turned the pages, allowing both of you to continue reading. At first, it was so strange. Having this huge monster visit you every day, acting like you were friends. Not that you minded. You would take him being by your side any day over having him chase you through forests again. And maybe you could call him your friend, after what you’ve been through which wasn’t what happened during the storm. No. It was far worse than that. A punishment so cruel, death was a blessing. If only you knew what awaited. You would have left Kuro to be treated and then rushed back to the forest, limping or not. Moder would have gladly joined you, were he aware that the same fate was to befall him as well.

You heard talks about Zote, not once witnessing Pale King telling his children that if they didn’t behave, he will have to resort to this old bug, making the little ones go completely quiet. However, you never knew why he scared them so. Not until three nights ago, after the Jötunn brought you back home, safe and sound. You expected a war, screaming and to be grounded for an entire year, even more. What the bugs had in mind; however, it suppresses all of that. Both you and Moder were pulled by Radiance into a dream where you had to endure the most torturous hours of your lives. This Zote… he was…he was! Words cannot describe the pain his mere talking could inflict on any living being. Gertrude was an angel. Even the creature was cursing his existence at that moment. Worst part? When the torture master was almost done, Moder did the mistake and let out a long yawn, interrupting the bug’s tirade. Did Zote throw them a mean glance and continue? NO! He started all over again from the very beginning! Mad, you punched the Jötunn in the neck, which he humbly took as repentance for his sin. 

When it was over, you and Moder were so done, you wanted to sleep, but feared that Zote might be there still, waiting for you, ready to launch on another stream of useless blabber.

The others, while not too kin on the new comrade, except for Grimm who was overjoyed to have someone who understood his pain in dealing with his father, were at least glad that the nightmare was over, and you were able to walk around freely. No one missed the foul stench you had to have on you to keep the creature away that was for sure. However, they were still on edge whenever Moder was around, even more than when they were near Kuro with whom Hornet tied a tight friendship after she went on one flying trip with him at your request. Herrah knew nothing of that, of course, neither did Pale King.

James was pretty mad at you, but Olaf took your side and defended you, making him ease up on you. Cody was taken aback once more by your recklessness. To actually manage to befriend an ancient Norse deity. You were something, that was for sure. Gertrude and her wolves…they couldn’t care less, though the old woman seemed quite pleased to have a new friend to go “hunting” with. That was what she called searching for teenagers who wondered into the forest for stupid stuff. Apparently, she had a deep hatred towards couples who engraved their initials in the barks of the trees.

You took a break and looked around, feeling a little melancholic that the snow was gone, melted away by the storm from that night. The forest the Jötunn called home seemed even more ominous than before, with the white blanket had dissolved into the ground. The cold hadn’t been as kind, to leave room for the rays of sun to spread their warmth. Moder seemed to share your thought, as he tried to bring back the snow, but his powers were able to only manipulate the forest and bring the night faster, but not control the weather. Still, you thanked him for trying, which appeared to please him greatly.

Apparently the nixes weren’t kin on having lost their homes to the Norse creature and thus, their sorrow manifested as violent storms, so hot with fury not even the cold of winter could turn them into snow. Moder cared not for it, but you insisted he make peace with them, but that didn’t really work out. Still, Olaf assured you that they won’t give up trying. 

“(Y/N), Moder come help me.” Gertrude called out to you two, coming out of the cabin with a large cardboard box.

You closer your book and as Kuro flew with it to put it back in the room you shared with him, whose fixed window was wide open, allowing the owl to fly freely in and out, you and Moder answered the old woman’s request.

“What’s in this, Gertrude?” you asked, taking the box from her and placing it on the ground where she showed you.

“Tree lights. I thought that since this is your last day here, we might end the night on a special note. How about that?” she answered, a smile curling on her lips.

“W-Wow! Really? Thank you so much!” you said and went to hug her.

Indeed, the next day, you, the bugs and James had to return to Transylvania. It’s been a short yet beautiful week, that you would be sure to never forget, yet a regret was festering in your heart. You wished it could have lasted more, to get to know Olaf and Gertrude better, and also spend more time with the Jötunn, who began to kind of grown on you. You also were going to miss the trips with Cody. He did show you the lakes where the red water lilies grew, and also had you witness the dawn, the gentle rays of sun fall upon the fresh grass and the hepatica, wood vetch and wood anemone bloom, welcoming a brand-new day. Moder was with you as well on these trips, together with the bugs who you noticed always gave the boy mean glares whenever he spoke or he helped you go down a slippery slope, but you couldn’t understand why. Did he do something to anger them while you were busy with Kuro? 

You tried asking them about it, but they denied it, saying that it was all in your head. Needless to say, you didn’t buy that tie, but no matter how much you insisted, you failed to get any more answers. Grandpa on the other hand, began laughing out loud when you brought this up.

“Oh, my darling! Don’t worry about that. Kids will be kids, after all.” he said, patting your head.

Well, that didn’t really help.

You handed Moder the hanging tree lights as he put them between the branches of the hazel trees, Cody and James bringing out a large picnic table into the yard and placing it somewhere close, before going back to bring the chairs. Olaf and Gertrude were busy with preparing dinner. Grimm was busy choosing a song for the night and also preparing a show as a goodbye to their hosts. Pale King and Herrah were looking after the children, worried now that Hornet might go on trips with Kuro without announcing anyone else. They began to warm up to the owl but letting their daughter roam too close to him unsupervised was still a challenge. Radiance was watching you and the Jötunn arrange the lights from afar. Her brother asked her to not interfere, to allow him some moments by your side. She wasn’t pleased with it, demanding to know why. Lately, the Troupe Master began to be more sympathetic to the creature, and not only because they shared a distaste towards their parents. It was more than that. When questioned about his behavior, Grimm smiled and told them.

“Can’t you see? He, you and I are pretty much the same, except that I was blessed enough to know what I truly wanted.” he said, offering a sad smile in the direction of the Jötunn.

Indeed, he saw himself in the creature, or better said, he saw his first incarnation, the very first Grimm, before the Troupe even existed, wandering aimlessly through lands, all alone and sad, not even Grimmkin by his side to alleviate his solitude. Before he and Radiance fell apart, he also had a cult, bugs gladly offering their lives to him. But because of his bond with his sister who used to be so tight before everything fell to ruin, he never let it get to his head. He knew from the very beginning what he longed for, what was needed to fill the whole left behind by her betrayal. He wanted another family, not worshipers that could abandon him were another show up, offering him more than he could. Even if he had killed the traitors, what gain was there to be had in this? A flickering pleasure that left behind a gruesome taste once it died down. Thus, he never cared to be worshiped, more interested in searching for bugs who were truly interested in being by his side. The fires and strength of his desire birthed the Grimmkin, and after that, slowly, he found more companions. Some left after a while, tired of thousands of years wandering the world, others were too pained by the loss of his previous incarnation to continue the journey, wanting to not stain the memories that they had. Still, each goodbye never hurt too much, for they made him so happy once, and allowing them rest was the least he could do. There was always that hope, that flickering promise, a connection nothing could shatter. They offered him the warmth, the sincerity, the family he yearned for with all his being. And thus, he considered himself blessed.

Moder, on the other hand, although he had a family, from what Grimm understood, they were the most dysfunctional one that ever existed, with a father that was nearly never there for he was always getting in trouble and sometimes liked tormenting his children with his pranks, and a mother that he never knew. His was never close with his siblings, except for Hel, who was now in the Underworld, and he hadn’t seen her in a very long time, maybe millennia’s. He never managed to deepen the bonds, gaining instead a twisted notion of worship and faith. When the first cultist came, he was offered the chance, the Jötunn himself, admitting those days felt like true bliss but Loki’s teaching soon blinded him again, once more came to worship him. Yet, he held those memories close to his heart, unable to let them go, and deep inside his being, he still held the hope that he will be able to return to those days. Now, all alone, the chance presented itself once more, in the form of you and the others. Slowly, he began to build the connection again, uninterrupted thanks to Grimm’s understanding of his situation. He finally abandoned the teaching that brought him nothing but trouble, able to start anew, with a clear mind of his desire. Too bad, you had to leave soon, and he wished he could do something, but keeping you by his side by force was not the right way to go.

“You ok?” you asked him, noticing his distress.

Moder looked at you and nodded. It’s been a long while since anyone was concerned about him and he had to admit, it felt nice.

“If you say so. Thank you for helping me though.”

You gently patted his shoulder, a smile on your face. He turned his gaze away, still getting a bit embarrassed whenever someone showed him kindness. He had a long road ahead of him.

“Ok, everyone! Come to eat! Kuro, you too!” Gertrude yelled, as she came out of the house, carrying a large pot with steam rising from it, spreading a delicious scent of herbs and fried sausage, Olaf following behind her with 7 plates in his arms, silverware resting in the top one.

The dinner was nice, everyone eating and chatting, complimenting the old woman’s cooking, which you couldn’t deny, you expected to be more…questionable. The night was well settled in when you were done, classical music carefully chosen by Grimm, playing in the background, the tree lights turned on. You were all drinking tea at this point, still talking to one another, James laughing at something Olaf said, a memory from back when he was still the sibling’s apprentice. Cody was listening to it, happy to have found someone who knew what he was going through, and also was horrified at hearing what was awaiting him. Gertrude was telling Herrah about her wolves, who were sleeping, their bellies full with meat and bones left behind from cooking the stew, Pale King once more forced to look by himself after Hornet. Thankfully, the young princess was absorbed by the show put on display by the troupe, Grimmchild overjoyed at having the chance to perform with his father on the stage. Moder was listening in to your and Radiance’s conversation, Kuro chirping gleefully as your hand was scratching his chin.

The song had changed to a slower one, an idea coming to you as you heard the soft melody.

“Just a minute, Radiance. I want to do something. Kuro want to dance?” you asked the little owl who looked at you confused.

You got up from the seat and invited to bird to put one of his wings on your shoulder, while you held his other one at an arm’s length, or as far as you could, while your other arm was wrapped around his back, holding him close to your chest. You began to move in a slow dance, swaying to the music, Kuro supporting his cheek on your chest, close to your heart, letting the moment capture him in its spell. You smiled and continued to move, making small twirls with him, here and there, shutting your eyes as your feet had each step dictated to them by the sound of violin and piano, in a gracious harmony. Minutes passed by, but you felt no need to stop, the moment too sweet to break away from.

As if on cue, you opened your eyes a little, and noticed Moder staring at you, a certain wish reflecting in his eyes. Smiling, you stopped dancing and took Kuro back to the table, the little one reluctantly giving up his spot for another. No matter, you two could dance more when you were asleep, in the Nightmare Realm. If the Nightmare King allowed that. You headed to the Jötunn and reached out a hand, the invitation more than clear. He was surprised, looking at your hand in disbelief.

“It won’t hurt to try, right?” you encouraged him.

He finally took it, and together you went to the dancefloor, him trying to imitate your moves with the owl. It was clear that he was nervous, for his gestures felt rigid, clumsy and he nearly stepped on your feet a few times. Still, you didn’t let that discourage you as you were the same when Grandpa first taught you. You continued to encourage him, and by the end of the night, he was a much more decent dancer, albeit his steps were still hesitant and somewhat gawky, but still better.

“See, it wasn’t so bad.” you laughed and Moder patted your head in response, as he saw you do with Kuro so many times.

The bugs watched it all in silence, envy brewing inside of each of them. Nope. Tomorrow they will be back home, no need to be rude now. It wasn’t like those guys could tag along. No way.

The next day, Gertrude handed you a big cage with none other than Kuro inside, smiling happily, just before you were ready to board the plane.

“He’s well feed so you won’t have any trouble until you reach the airport. Good luck with him, darling.” the old woman said, holding back a chuckle seeing the despair on the bugs’ faces.

Pale King and Herrah facepalmed each other, Radiance was on the verge of tears, Brumm, Divine and the Grimmkin bearing their frustration in silence, Hornet and Grimmchild already planning all sort of pranks they could do and Grimm letting out a heavy sigh, saying.

“This just had to happen, didn’t it?”


	35. Back to school

6:55.

6:56.

6:57.

6:58.

6:59.

7:00.

Brrrr!Brrrr!

Silence.

“Whoahh! Good morning guys.” you said as you stretched your body, the numbness of sleep washing away as your vision got adjusted to the pale morning light.

The children sleeping on the cat bed near your pillow rubbed their eyes lazily, some pulling the blanket over their head in protest as they didn’t want to wake up yet. You were on the same side as them in that matter. You got up from the bed, after a few minutes of struggle, and headed to the bathroom, patting Kuro on the head on the way. He gave you a soft chirp as Ghost and Pure emerged from their feathers, the spot too warm to leave. Ah! If only you could have indulged in such comfort as well. The more you thought about it, the harder it was to resist the urge to dive back into the cream-colored sheets and take part in another dance lesson from Grandpa or listen to Mom’s stories of the kingdoms she had seen so long ago. Thus, you rushed into the bathroom and prepared yourself to welcome the new day, your least favorite one, Monday.

“Ugh! You need new clothes!” Emilia said after a long pause in which she examined your outfit for the day.

“Why? What’s wrong with these?” you said, pouring yourself another glass of orange juice.

It was an usual morning, Brumm ad Mila playing song in the salon, with the children chasing each other in a game of tag and Pale King struggling to make them sit and eat breakfast in peace. Ever since he returned, the little ones have been more rambunctious than ordinary, and only did something if their father told them too. White Lady was laughing as she watched her beloved try to control the army of small, black bugs, along with Dryya, who was doing her best to maintain a stern face, her honor and position preventing her from letting out as much as a giggle at her King’s mishaps, no matter how much her Lady assured her that it was fine. Hegemol, Ogrim and Isma were chatting at a cup of tea, trying to resist the urge to help their Lord, but they knew that the royal family wanted to deal with their children themselves, a way to make up for the past.

Ze’mer was talking with the one of the mantis lord’s daughter, her father standing by pretty close, like a father spying their child on a date. His sisters were trying not to mock him, the youngest one giving in to the temptation more than the rest, but she couldn’t say anything as the older ones were quick to silence her as soon as she opened her mouth. It was pretty rare to see their brother in the house. He preferred to stay outside, in a small enclosure somewhere in the backyard which you’ve seen a couple times but never really inspected as the other Higher Beings told you that it was the land of the Mosskin, a plant-like species which refused to kneel to either Pale King or Radiance and instead followed the law of Unn, another Higher Being which seemed to be in deep slumber ever since they came. That would explain why no one ever introduced you to her. The others respected their wishes and chose to leave them alone, thus you decided to follow suit.

Pure, Ghost and Hornet were eating quietly together with Herrah and Vespa who was listening to the stories her companion told her. Quirrel was fussing over Monomon, asking her to go back to sleep, after she pulled another all-nighter. Poor bug. Despite the difference in age, you often found yourself seeing the apprentice as the adult whenever you saw those two interact, with him concerned about her health and all. Lurien was also accompanied by his apprentice, but he was waiting patiently for the king to be done with his children so he could deliver him the reports from yesterday.

Grimmchild was perched between his father’s horns, chewing one of them as revenge for the leash still being tied around his neck. His little fangs weren’t strong enough to do any damage, leaving behind a tingle that Grimm could hardly stop himself from laughing at, which in turn only served to infuriate the little one more, to the point where pink tears formed at the ends of his eyes. Unsatisfied at the reaction he was receiving, the child abandoned his spot and flew towards his friend, starling everyone as he bashed his head in Ghost’s mask and wrapped his wings around their horns. To say, the little black bug wasn’t already used to such a greeting would be a lie, proven as such by the calmness with which they rose from their seat and began to walk around trying to calm their friend.

Radiance was sitting on your left shoulder, the right one occupied by Kuro who was calmly watching the bugs, most likely amazed to see so many of them gathered in a single place. At first, everyone was scared of them, except for the children who, just like their sister, were extremely curious about birds as they had never seen one so up close. When they heard that the owl will be staying under the same roof as them, many wanted to riot, but Pale King assured them that there was no danger to be expected from this one. In order to consolidate his words, though not pleased with it, but he was doing it mostly for your sake, he allowed his children to play with Kuro, who to everyone’s surprise, patiently put up with them, trying not to flinch when they would occasionally pull at his feathers with a little more force for some of them weren’t so little anymore and they became quite strong too. 

“Are you kidding me?” Emilia scoffed, catching again your attention. “This is the third time you’re wearing that cardigan. You clearly need a new wardrobe.”

“Please. Last time I wore this was a whole month ago.” you cried out.

You weren’t exactly a fan of clothes shopping and besides, you needed to buy food and other stuff for Kuro. Having him sleep on your desk in an improvised bed of rags didn’t sit well with you. Not to mention, you ran out of cleaning supplies again and needed more notebooks for math. There were enough expenses without you having to add clothes to the list.

“I’m actually on the same side with Emilia on this, my dear. You could use some new clothes.” Grimm joined in the conversation.

“There are enough things to buy already and clothes is not in top priority.” you said and quickly drank the glass of juice. “Alright. Time to go to school, I guess. You guys want anything from the store?” you asked everyone as you took your bag and coat.

“No, dear. Take care. Ah! Brooke, please sit properly!” Pale King replied before returning to his duty of looking after the kids.

“Be sure to pay attention.” Radiance said and you couldn’t help but fake an exasperated sigh.

“Ok, Mom.” you laughed.

You waited for Kuro to get off your shoulder and then got dressed. He flew to the couch and as soon as he landed, Hornet was already on his head, enjoying the soft feeling of his feathers. You watched them for a short while and then left, relieved that the bird was so well received and that he wouldn’t be alone while you were gone. Oh! If only you knew.

Returning to school after a good week away was never pleasant. Everyone was tired and cranky, but luckily seeing your friends after the holiday invigorated you. You listened to Anne as she told you about her sister’s latest mischief, and how she broke a glass jar in her hand, her fingers and palm wrapped in white bandages. She really had a way to harm herself. Every week she had another scar or bruise from falling or stumping on something.

“What about you?” she asked when she was done.

“Oh! I’ve been to Sweden with my uncle to visit some friends.” you said, feeling a bit sorry that you couldn’t tell her about Moder and what happened.

Even though the experience of that night was frightening, you were grateful for what happened, for it offered you release from a burden you’ve been carrying around for so long.

“Really?! That sounds so cool! And? How was it?” she asked.

As you were beginning to tell her about it, Ella and Ruth came to your desk to chat.

“Hey girls! How was the holiday?”

“Hey, Ella! Ok. (Y/N) was just about to tell me about her time in Sweden.” Anne answered your colleague.

“Really? How was it? Tell us. Tell us.” Ella screeched as she pulled a chair from a nearby, empty desk and sat down, together with Ruth.

You began to tell them about Gertrude and the mornings you, the wolves and her would stroll through the woods to help her with her ranger duties. About Olaf and Kuro and the walks you took with Cody through the forest. Of course, there was so much to say, but you didn’t think your friends would believe you had made an ancient Norse creature into your buddy. Needless to say, Ella didn’t really bite the part with the owl, saying how you were making it up. Not that it mattered too much for you whether or not she believed you.

More than half an hour passed, and the teacher still hadn’t shown up. Everyone was still chatting, too occupied with their stories to care that class should have started long ago. You looked at the clock on the wall and said:

“What do you think is taking them so long?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. It would be good if none of them came to class. Ugh! It’s too early. My brain is still asleep.” Ella cried out, as she laid her head on the table.

You and the girls giggled, but the happiness didn’t last long.

You heard a slight knock coming from the window and when you turned your head to look what it was, all color drained from your face. Outside, on the window sill was none other than Kuro, hitting the glass with his beak and his huge, yellow eyes staring at you.

“Sorry!” you said in a hurry and rushed to him.

Unfortunately, more of your classmates began to notice the black owl and the room was filled now with exclamations and whispers of the strange yet adorable bird.

“I can’t believe it…HE’S ACTUALLY REAL?!” Ella screamed, her jaw hanging in the air.

You opened the window, ignoring the voices behind you, and those who approached you to ask about the owl, as Ella’s comment made it clear to them that you knew about him.

“What are you doing here, Kuro?” you asked the bird as you opened the window.

As soon as the opportunity presented itself, the owl flew in the class, landing on your shoulder and gently rubbing his head on your cheek. How could you be mad at this bundle of love?

“Awww! He’s so adorable!”

“Where did you get him?”

“Did you teach him to do that?”

The questions flowed non-stop and soon everyone wanted to hold the owl, to pet him and maybe give him a treat. The last part you strictly forbade as you weren’t completely sure of what he was allowed to eat and what consequences the sugars and salts in human food might fall upon him. Still, you let your friends pet him as he was perched on your shoulder and refused to go away. The break bell rang, and you knew that you had to part with the little one. No way the teachers would have left him stay in during class.

“Ok, Kuro. Time to go home.” you said and opened the window again to let him go.

He refused at first, digging his claws deeper into your clothes.

“Ouch! I know you want to stay. but the teachers won’t let me keep you. Don’t worry. I’ll be back home in a few hours. Play with Pure and Hornet until then, ok?” you argued, patting his tummy to appease him.

In the end, he let go and flew away, in the direction of the house and you couldn’t help but feel sad that he left.

“Maybe we could have hid him.” Anne said, noticing your long face.

“I doubt that. Hopefully the little ones will keep him company until I’m back.” you replied, thankful for her attempt.

“Do you have other owls? Who are Pure and Hornet?” Ruth asked, and then you realized what you let slip in your negligence.

“Oh! … t-they’re…they’re some cousins! They came to stay for a little while.” you said, feeling a bitter taste after the lie escaped your lips, but what else could you have said? That they were your bug siblings? Nope. Unless you wanted them to look at you as if you lost your mind.

Thankfully, the door opened, and everyone turned their attention that way, expect for you. You let out a sigh, closing your eyes in relief at being so quickly forgotten, until you heard him.

“Hey, (Y/N)! Long time no see.”

Shot!


	36. Books and witches

“Here, (Y/N). Try some of this cotton candy.” Anne told you, placing the sweet candy closer to you.

“Nah. I’m good. Want some Kurtos? I asked for a simple one and it’s still steaming hot.” you offered her a part of the still-steaming spit cake.

“Thanks. I didn’t know you liked Kurtos.” she said as she took a piece and bit it, letting the hot flavor of cinnamon invade her mouth.

“What’s there not to like?” you said and took a bite as well.

Odd looks were thrown your way as you and your friends walked down the road through the heart of the fair, children screaming and parents shaking their head in disapproval, vendors giggling, others looking in awe, but you didn’t care.

“Hey, look! Those guys are selling meat. How about we get Kuro something?” Anne pointed to a stall whose front was indeed filled with good-looking sausages, hot dogs, bacon with grease shining bright in the sunlight.

One look in that direction was enough to make the owl’s stomach growl and he pushed his head into yours and gesturing towards it. 

“Sure. Let’s go.” you said and headed there; the bird excited to receive a treat.

Fortunately, the vendor had some raw meat in stock too and you brought four pieces of chicken breast, giving one to Kuro as soon as you paid for them. He swallowed it hole, a satisfied expression on his face, though you knew he will ask for more in an hour. Not that you minded. He was so adorable when he was happy.

It was a cold day of February, the last month of winter saying its goodbyes with harsh winds and snowy days, roads cleaned in the morning, covered again in the evening. The days were slowly getting longer, sunlight earning a bit more time, each day. Soon, the snow will be replaced by heaven’s tears, and all the white will melt away, leaving behind dirty poodles of water on the sidewalk, perfect opportunities for drivers to splash innocent pedestrians while they were carelessly driving at high speed on the narrow roads.

School ended early and tomorrow it was going to be out since it was some holiday whose name you could never recall. Since you had plenty of time, you and Anne decided to go and visit the fair, at least until she had to go home. The bugs couldn’t accompany you, all of them stuck with the homework and lessons Pale King prepared for them, much to Hornet’s annoyance. She was angry at both her parents, her father because it was his idea and her mother for allowing it. Everyone was surprised at Herrah’s decision to make her daughter learn about something else but how to fight, hunt and weave as that was the spiders’ way. Thus, the reckless princess was more than unpleased. However, the one who had all the right to complain was Pure. They marked the highest from all of their siblings and so, their father had great expectations from them, and the others were quick to ask for their aid when it came to homework. Them and Quirrel. It was only the second day since the King implemented the school project and the poor pill bug was already neck deep in pleas of help and didn’t know how to manage it. If you didn’t need to go to school, you would have stayed behind and help him out, but unfortunately, you had no such luxury.

You looked at the items on display, thinking about buying something for the children, a toy to lighten up their day, at least for a little while. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could satisfy you, some plush animals looking sloppily made, others, so cheap, the price screamed of their poor quality. Those will not do. You wanted only the best for those babies.

As you kept on browsing through the stuff with Anne’s help, Kuro sleeping deeply on your shoulder now, you reached a stall filled with nothing but strange things, the kind that you would find in a cheap freak house show sold as souvenirs. The vendor was an old gipsy woman, her long, white hair, caught at the back with a golden hair ornament, and her eyes locked on her hands as she was knighting a muffler, not seeming to have noticed you and your friend, but that was soon proved wrong when she spoke:

“See anything that might interest you, dear?” she asked, not lifting her head to look at you.

“Um…hello. Just looking for now.” you answered, a chill running down your spine.

There was something strange about that woman, and given your recent experiences, you had a feeling that maybe she was the real deal. You looked over the displays, crystal balls, vials with right colored liquids inside, cheesy books about love stories judging from the titles, rabbit feet, you didn’t want to know how she got those, four-leaves clovers, the usual trinkets. One book however, caught your attention. It didn’t have a title and the cover was hard and white, almost as if it was made out of bark. You took it, and indeed it was not leather or cardboard, the hard touch as your fingers passed over the cover serving as proof. It was truly made out of tree crust. You opened the book and looked inside. It was full of drawings of birches, with photos of a weird symbol engraved in the trunk of one of them. You noticed more symbols here and there, some of them recognizing as Moder used to tell you about old magics back in Sweden together with Cody, what they meant and which ones to avoid. This book was filled with the ones depicting protection and nature from what you could tell.

“I see that book picked your interest.” the woman said and stopped working.

She set her knitting kit aside and got up from her seat on a plastic chair, reaching out her hand towards you.

“That would be 30 euros, dearie.”

Your jaw dropped at the price. 3-30 Euros! That was all the money you had left on you! You looked again at the book you were holding. If your gut was right, then that book was the real deal. Trying to hold back tears, you opened your wallet and handed her the money. Ah! There goes your allowance.

“Take this too.” the woman said and gave you an odd-looking thing made out of birch twigs.

It resembled one of the symbols you kept on seeing through out the book, though what it meant you couldn’t tell. You couldn’t recall seeing it anywhere in Moder’s forest, yet something about it felt oddly familiar.

“Thank you.” you said and turned around ready to go back home and grieve the wind blowing through your wallet.

“You’re welcome, dearie. Oh! Such a cute little owl! Here.” the woman pulled a piece of unsalted bacon from a box behind her stall and handed it to Kuro who was awakened now, thanks to the scent of meat.

He happily took it and swallowed the bacon, letting out a pleased tweet. You would have smiled if your mind wasn’t clouded by only one thought. She wasn’t going to make you pay for that, right?

“Why did you buy it?” Anne asked, looking concerned at the book in your hands.

“Hm? Oh, this? I don’t know. It’s weird.” you said, feeling once again bitter for not being able to reveal to her the truth.

As amazing as being able to live and see all the magic in the world was, it was truly a lonely existence, drawing a line between those who chose to embrace the supernatural and those who were denied such privilege. Anne was kind hearted, soft and too naïve. She was easily scared and did not like magic and horror too much, unlike you, who was never too bothered by it. To survive in the world of darkness, one needed to be strong minded and not lend their ears to everyone who was begging for help, for it could sometimes be a trap. Gertrude made sure to teach you how to tell them apart as much as she could. The old woman told you that it might have been sheer luck that Moder hadn’t killed you that night as he was known to have murdered those who refused his worship before he grew tired and sick of it. Anne wouldn’t be able to stand living in such a world.

Was James also like that? Though surrounded by loving friends, his family treated him like a stranger. Always avoiding him and acting as if he was insane. Even now, they preferred to keep their distance. How lonely he must have been?

“(Y/N), you ok?”

“Oh, yeah. S-Sorry. Just thinking about something.” you said, waving off the thoughts haunting your mind.

No use in pondering over them. You were already blessed with a large family of bugs and wonderful friends, and a beautiful owl. Why complain?

“Oh! Is it about your wallet?”

“Don’t remind me!”

Both of you began to laugh at that, accompanied by Kuro’s happy tweets. Oh! It felt so good to have someone like them around.

You were near the bus station when both you saw a bunch of children, not far ahead of you. They seemed to be screaming at someone from what you could tell and the closer you got, the clearer it became that they were indeed yelling at one of their group. However, when you saw who the unlucky one was and what the others were screaming, your face went pale. 

There, being pushed around and shouted at was none other than that insufferable woman’s brat. He was crying and every time he tried to fight back against his bullies, they only laughed and hit him harder to the ground.

“This is what you get for getting Monica in trouble!” a boy screamed at the brat who was trying to get back up.

“It was your fault for breaking the window!” another yelled.

“We’re sick of getting blamed for the trouble you do!” came another.

“I-I’ll tell mommy!” the brat tried to scare the others but to avail.

He only got laughed at more.

“Do it! My dad is a lawyer! He’ll send your mommy to jail!” a boy laughed and was ready to hit the brat again.

You were ready to intervene and rescue him, Kuro also spreading his wings and ready to jump into action the second you made a move. No matter how much of a pain he has been to you each time you’ve seen him, nobody deserved to be treated like that. However, just as you were about to tell those kids off, Henry appeared out of nowhere and began screaming at them to go away.

“Hey! Leave him alone! One against many! That ain’t fair!”

You nearly spat on the ground hearing his words. Knowing who they were coming from, their meaning, rightful as it was, turned into a tasteless joke that couldn’t be taken seriously at all.

Scared by the audience they had now, the children ran away, scared, leaving the brat behind, snot and tears on his face. Henry approached him and tried to help him stand up, only to be shunned and insulted.

Yep. He was that hag’s spawn after all. No wonder he had no manners.

“Hey, kid! I’m trying to help.” Henry defended himself.

The more he talked, the bitter you felt. You interfered, only to keep his mouth shut.

“Hey, brat!” you called out to the kid, realizing only then that you had no idea what his name was.

The boy looked at you, his face going pale and letting out the highest pitched shriek you ever heard.

“WITCH!!!!” he yelled and then turned around and ran away, leaving you all bewildered.

The-the freak was that about?

After a few seconds, Henry looked at you, the confusion still obvious on his face.

“What was that?” he asked, pointing in the direction the boy run to.

“Do I look like I have any idea?” you asked sarcastically, but a thought began to creep into your mind, and the possibility of it being true both made you happy and terrified.

“Thanks for helping him, Henry.” Anne spoke, making both of you look at her.

If only she knew who Henry really was.

“Yeah. You were the last one I was expecting to do something like that.” you replied, your tone a bit snarkier than you intended.

“People change.” he said.

His reply made you burst out laughing, startling the owl on your shoulder and Anne who was looking at you concerned. People change, the same lie they used that night.

“Yeah, sure! Tell that to someone who believes you.” you said and waved him off. “Anne, I think the bus is here.” you pointed to the large bus that just pulled into the station.

“Yeah. See you later, (Y/N). You too, Henry.” she said and rushed to catch a seat.

Once alone with him, you headed home as well, eager to talk with James about the book you found when you felt someone walk besides you.

“What do want?” you asked, annoyed.

“To apologize.” Henry answered, his tone hiding no ill-will, but you still couldn’t bear to hear it.

“Ok. Do it by leaving me alone.”

“I’m serious!”

“I don’t care.” you answered and hurried your step.

Kuro was picking onto your agitation, despite you trying to hide it, and was getting restless as well, his claws sinking into your shoulder and beginning to raise his wings slowly. He was getting ready to attack.

Henry didn’t care about it and kept on following you, spewing his frustration.

“Look, I know there’s no way to make up for what happened, but I want to at least try!” he cried out.

You turned to face him, holding a hand on Kuro’s tummy and rubbing his feathers to calm him down. 

“Then leave me alone. Kuro is getting stressed because of you. Unless you want your face shredded to pieces, stay away. And you’re right. You can never make up for what you guys did to me that day. But…” you took a break, the words hard to get out. “I want to forget and move on. So let’s just…let’s just stay away from each other. Ok?” you said and turned to leave, hoping that that was enough to keep him away.

“And you think that will work?” Henry asked, stopping you from leaving again.

“I don’t know.” you replied and left, without looking back.

You knew it was impossible to stay away from him since you two were in the same class, but at least you could ignore each other. Would that really help? You had no idea. Probably not. Ah! This whole situation was driving you mad!

Kuro’s soft tweet brought you back to reality.

“Thanks buddy.” you said and patted his feathers again. “What would I do without you?”

The snow began to fall again, the whole town having an air of melancholy now, just like your mood. You looked at the snowflakes, so frail yet beautiful. A tea party would be really sweet now. Hopefully, you had some at home, because right now you were completely broke. Ah! Now you were thinking about your wallet again!


	37. Summoning

The steam rising from the pot on the stove, announced the water was ready. You took it off the stove and poured the boiling liquid into the cups already prepared, watching the red color rising to the surface and spreading a sweet fragrance of cherries and strawberries in the kitchen. You giggled seeing Grimm inhale the scent and rising the thumb of his free hand, up in the air. Grimmchild was sleeping in his arms, wrapped in his father’s cape where it was warm and soft. You looked at him, doing your best not to coo. He was just too cute, especially when he rubbed his cheek on the Troupe Master’s chest. Where’s the cuteness police?! This shouldn’t be legal!

Kuro was perched on your shoulder, belly full from another delicious meal and looking around for Hornet or any other child willing to go with him on a flying session outside. Much to his disappointment, and the little ones’, they were stuck with another wave of homework from the King and as soon as someone managed to finish it, they had to go and help the others.

Radiance was sitting on your other shoulder, telling you about what happened during the day while you were away, how the children tried to sneak out of their lessons, only to be caught by one of the Five Knights or the teachers themselves. At first, the children were taking lessons mostly in fighting, but now they had also science integrated in their curriculum, a thing that before only happened at the children’s request. Now they were all stuck learning about them, though more seriously and on different levels. The Wyrm was aware that they all had different things they were good at and took that into great consideration when planning their lessons. Good for him. Many bugs were hired to be teachers for his little ones. Cornifer was teaching them about Geography, Monomon about Chemistry, Sly about Economy, Lemm’s class was History and so on. Even White Lady was participating, sharing her knowledge about plants with her beloved children, though the King was worried that the little ones were actually sleeping and playing, not learning, but since this was his wife’s class, he couldn’t say anything. He was also teaching different sciences, a job which he seemed to enjoy a lot.

However, since there were so many children, attempts to skip class were not that uncommon, even though the punishment was everyone’s worst nightmare. A full hour lecture from none other than Zote. That…was pure torture. 

James was sitting at the table, looking over the book you brought, studying the symbols and the thing the woman gave you. He flipped through the pages, tracing the symbols with his hands. After a few minutes, he closed it and let out a heavy sigh.

“From what I can tell, this is a book about how to summon the Birch.” he said in the end and took one of the tea cups.

“The Birch? Who’s that?” you asked, sitting down and taking the book from him.

“One of the forest spirits. She’s described as a protector by some and a demon by others, but I can’t recall the details very well. Gertrude should know more about her. I’ll give her a call tonight and ask her.” he said and took a sip from the tea, only to let the cup down quickly. “Argh! Still hot!”

“Careful with that, uncle.” you said and looked at the book’s cover once more. “Do you mind if I call Gertrude? I was planning on doing it yesterday anyway but didn’t have the time.”

“Sure. Go ahead. By the way, what do you want for dinner?”

“I don’t know. I’m not in the mood to cook right now.”

“Ok. Then let’s order something.” 

“Or, you know, you could cook something, James. It would be healthier.” Radiance proposed.

Every bug in the house seemed to agree with her, much to your surprise. Not to be mean but James had a reputation of being the clumsiest guy that ever lived. One that you’ve seen proven right quite many times.

“Oh! It’s been a while since we had anything cooked by James.” one of the Mantis Lords came in the kitchen, followed by a bunch of children who wasted no time to climb on your lap, happy to see their dear older sister.

They looked tired, which was to be expected. The youngest of the Mantis Lords offered to take the children exploring through the new caverns which were being created in the backyard, deep underground and which would one day serve as the grounds of their new home. Constructions were slow, with some tunnels needing to be enlarged and the recent seasons, the snow soon bound to melt and flood everything. The Wyrm ordered all operations to be stopped, until he created a spell to prevent such a thing from happening now and in the future. Time was working against him, but Grimm and Radiance offered their help, making the process faster, but with all the other projects Pale King had taken upon him, you couldn’t help but doubt that he will make it in time. February was almost over.

“Ok. In that case. what should I make?” James asked, getting up from his seat and looking after the apron you usually used whenever you were cooking.

“Whatever is fine with you, uncle.” you replied and began to flip the pages of the book again, taking a closer look at its contents.

A short poem caught your attention, written next to another drawing of what seemed like the main symbol and another drawing of birch trees. 

_“For he who makes me_

_I shall come,_

_And he who breaks me_

_Shall come undone.”_

To say it was strange would have been an understatement, but it was a clue as to what this Birch might be.

While James was cooking, you went outside, book in hand, to talk on the phone, Kuro taking advantage of the occasion to spread his wings and fly around, a bit sad though because neither of the children were able to accompany him. He grew fond of having one of the little ones on his back as he soared through the sky. You watched him, waiting for the other end to pick up. Cody warned you that those siblings took a long time to answer their phones. Finally, you heard Olaf’s voice answering.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Olaf! It’s me, (Y/N). How are you guys doing?”

“(Y/N)! Hello, my dear! We’re good. Enjoying a nice bonfire, outside. Cody is in the kitchen, preparing some meat to be grilled and Gertrude and Moder are out to bring some berries. What about you?” Olaf said cheerful.

“Watching Kuro fly around.” You answered, looking at the owl making thumbs through the air.

“Oh! So that baby adapted well to his new home.”

“You have no idea.”

“Good to hear. Good to hear. Anything else?”

“Actually yeah. I was wondering if you guys know anything about the Birch.”

“The Birch? Why do you ask?”

Olaf’s tone hadn’t changed at all, so maybe this Birch character wasn’t so bad after all.

“I found a book at the fair today and it turns out, it’s about how to summon her. So I was wondering who she is.”

“The Birch is also known as The Protector. She will defend those who are in need and slay whoever dares to bring harm upon others. She’s a good spirit, and there quite a few ways to summon her.”

“There is a poem in the book I found. For he who makes me I shall come, and he who breaks me shall come undone. Are there other poems like that in other books?”

“Yes. The one you found was used by those who were desperate. They would trick their attackers to break a symbol of the Birch and have her save them. It’s a good book that you got it before anyone else did. Wait a minute.”

You could hear Olaf keeping the phone away from him and calling out to Gertrude. The sound of hooves rushing towards him, announced you that Moder was around as well.

“Hey, (Y/N)! How are you doing?” Gertrude said, as cheerful as her brother.

“Hey, Gertrude. I’m fine. I was talking with Olaf about the Birch.”

“The Birch? How is she doing? Haven’t seen her in quite a while.”

“I take it that you and she get along?”

“Oh, yes! She saved my life once, when I was a kid. I’ll tell you when we drop for a visit. But anyway, what do you want to know about her?”

“Well, I found this book at the fair about how to summon her and I was…” you began only to have Gertrude cut you off.

“Pft! Those are useless. Go to the nearest forest, draw her mark on a birch tree and then burn some Chaga Mushroom at its roots. She adores that scent and will come, nonetheless.”

“Ok. Thanks a lot, Gertrude.”

“You’re welcome. By the way, Moder says hi.” the old woman said, and you could hear Moder in the background, making noises which indeed sounded like a “hi”.

“Hi to you too, Moder.” you replied, smiling at the fact that this monster which you once feared was now a dear friend.

“Ok. Sorry to leave you now, but my stomach is preparing a revolution unless I feed it in the next minute. Loved talking to you dear. Have a great night and salute James for us too.”

“Ok. Will do, Gertrude. Loved talking to you too. Bon appetite.”

After saying your goodbyes, you hung up the phone and looked at the book in your hands once more. Only those who were desperate resorted to summoning the Birch that way. Just how sad could one be to resort to such means? Well, it was good that there were other, more peaceful rites for summoning her.

You called out to Kuro and when he landed on your shoulder, happy after a good time of flying free in the sky and ready to devour another delicious piece of meat, you two headed inside just when James was about to go and fetch you for dinner. The scent of cooked chicken and mushroom souse was spreading through the entire house and making your stomach growl. The bugs were already devouring the salad your uncle prepared for them. You took a sit and began to eat, laughing at the jokes James was making now and then, complimenting his cooking, listening to the music playing on Grimm’s iPad.

The night passed quickly for you, surrounded by love and those whom you held dear. A blessing not everyone could enjoy as in a 4-room apartment, at the other side of the town, a little boy was eating his dinner in silence, the bruises left by his furious classmates still hurting his back. But he said not a word. He knew his mother would cause a scene if she were to find out about what had happened that day. Just like last time, and the time before. He would become an outcast again and be bullied even more. His mind kept going to the witch, his cousin. Maybe she could do something about it? No. According to his mother, she was a bitch, what that meant he didn’t know, but he was aware that it was something bad and he had to keep away.

“Vlad, you ok? You’re unusually quiet today.” Patrick, his stepfather, asked, looking concerned at the boy.

“Yes. I’m fine.” he answered with half a mouth.

“He’s just tired. Leave him be. Now about our summer vacation.” Camelia said, waving off her son’s silence as nothing to be concerned about.

“I’m going to bed.” Vlad said and went to his room.

Concealed under his Batman covers, he began to pray for his classmates to die of terrible pain. He was an angel, right? His mother always said so. Definitely, his wish had to come true. Before things escalated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, prepare to meet The Birch. She belongs t CryptTv. All credit for her goes to them.


	38. Thief

The days until holiday couldn’t pass fast enough for Vlad. As he was going home, tears streaming down his face, thinking of his broken lunchbox and scribbled notebooks. Freddy bullied him again, that day, hiding his backpack before class, shoving him into the snow, yelling mean things at him. And no one did a thing to help him. They all just stood and watched, laughed at him and some even participated as well. The teachers were useless, pretending not to see and even when they interfered, they couldn’t do much beside, scolding the bullies and give them mere punishments that could equal a light slap on the wrist. Vlad was sick of it all, sniffing his nose as a new wave of tears was about to come out.

At least nobody was home to see him cry. His stepfather was gone in another town for a business trip and would only come back later that night and his mother was at a friend, visiting for the entire day. Thus there would be no one to ask questions, to demand answers for why his notebooks were destroyed. He didn’t want his parents to cause another scene. That would only make things worse. It always did.

He arrived at the entrance of the apartment complex he was living in, searching his pockets for the keys to open the glass doors. They were nowhere. His face went white as he looked for them again and again, in the pockets of his coat, in the compartments of his backpack, spilling its contents on the sidewalk, yet his findings bore no fruit. After a few minutes of frantic searches, it was clear that he either lost them or forgot to take them, but either way. He had no way of getting into his own home. Vlad began to cry again, louder this time, hoping that at least one of his neighbors would hear him and come to his help, but his voice fell on deaf ears, no savior seen at the horizon to aid the poor little boy.

The chill air was starting to sneak into his clothes, and he couldn’t sit still any longer. He gathered his belongings and left to the park, tears stinging his eyes and blur his vision. At one point, he bumped into someone and when he looked up, ready to scream in frustration he froze. Of all the people he could run into, it had to be the witch.

You were pretty down these last few days. Turns out finding Chaga Mushrooms was harder than you thought, and they were expensive as freak too. You wondered if offering some Chaga tea to the Birch would work. Looks like you had to bother Gertrude again.

Henry was walking by your side, refusing to abide by your request of not bothering you at all. But at least, this time he made himself useful and showed you where to find those mushrooms. Apparently, they were only sold at pharmacies, turned into pills or tea bags, just your luck.

“Still, why do you need them in raw form?” he asked and tried to touch Kuro, only for the owl to raise his wings threateningly his way and try to pinch his fingers off. “Whoa! Easy there!” Henry yelled, retracting his hand in time to avoid the bird’s beak.

“Well done, Kuro.” you said to the owl, before answering the boy’s question. “None of your business. Anyway, I need to g…” you began only to be cut off by someone bumping into you.

You looked down, expecting to hear an apology, when your eyes met the tears-filled those of none other than that woman’s brat. You were about to let out a snarky remark about him watching where he was going, when you noticed the snot all over his face and his sad expression and also the fear taking over as he realized who he bumped into. It was obvious that you weren’t the only one having a bad day.

Sighing, you took out a tissue from your pocket and handed it to the boy.

“Here, kid. Use it to wipe your face. Looks like you need it.” you said, trying to be as polite as you could.

He looked at it and then back at you for a few minutes, before taking it without saying as much as a thank you and began to clean his face and blow his nose. He was a bit calmer by the time he was done.

“Do you know this kid?” Henry asked you.

“Yeah. He’s my cousin. My uncle married his mom not long ago.” you replied and bend down to his level. “Hey. What’s wrong? Were those kids mean to you again?” you asked, your voice filled with sincere sympathy for this boy.

You didn’t like him. Not one bit. But you knew how much it sucked to be bullied and picked on and no matter how bad someone was, they didn’t deserve to be treated like that. Human cruelty knew no bounds after all and there was only so much someone could take before they snapped. 

The boy nodded slightly, and you sighed again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Henry asked, bending down as well.

You kept your mouth shut, feeling words of condemnation rush to come out. Despite it being obvious that he was trying to redeem himself, you couldn’t separate him from the one in your memories. The boy who laughed as his girlfriend push you down, as his friends jump scared you or tried to trip you now and then, especially during sport class, wrote insults on your notebooks and made fun of you with every occasion. You were still wary of him to some extent. Maybe it was ok to gibe him a second chance.

The boy shook his head, and both of you looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

“Where are you parents?” Henry continued, testing each water before jumping in.

“Mommy is at her friend and dad only comes home at night.” he answered, in the humblest tone you ever heard him talk to.

Well, that was anything but helpful. You couldn’t just go into those people’s house, be it your uncle or not ever since what happened at the family reunion. Sighing, you scratched the side of your head, thinking of ways to get out of this mess. A possibility came into your mind, but you didn’t like it one bit. Still, what other option was there?

“Ok. Let’s go to the museum.” you said and got up, inviting the kid to take your hand.

“The museum?” Henry asked, confused. “I mean it’s not a bad idea, but I think they’re closed today.”

“My uncle works there. He told me to go by today so might as well take the opportunity now.” you said and as soon as the boy grabbed your hand, albeit hesitantly, you headed towards James’ workplace and parting ways with Henry who was already late for his supplementary lessons.

The boy, Vlad, as he introduced himself to your uncle, was sitting quietly in a corner, drawing something on a piece of paper James gave him. You were watching him, amazed at how calm he could be without his mother around. Maybe it was because of him still being partially frozen from the cold outside, but he was a lot more obedient now. Your uncle wasn’t overly pleased with the additional visitor but was relieved that the boy was behaving and wasn’t causing trouble.

He offered you two a cup of hot chocolate and then, he went outside his office to call his brother and let him know what happened.

Left alone with the child, you looked around the room, for something to do. Kuro had left for home, carrying a message for the bugs and letting them know why you were late, and maybe bring back some of the little ones with him. Quirrel always wanted to see the museum after all but given his duty and having to look after Monomon as well, he couldn’t take the chance too. Now that the teacher was somewhat forcing him to relax and take it easy, he finally had the opportunity to do so.

With nothing better to do, you took out your textbooks and began to do your homework.

“What’s that?” Vlad asked, taking you by surprise.

“What?”

He pointed to the book made out of birch bark which you had taken out by mistake together with your other stuff. You took it with you to talk more about it with your uncle. You still had your doubts about summoning the Birch and wanted to ask his opinion as well. From what Gertrude said, it was obvious that she wasn’t as scary as the book made her out to be, but then again, you didn’t know if she would appreciate to be called just because you wanted to…wanted what? To just say hi? Yeah, that sure was going to be ok. You also began to translate some of the words written in the book, making notes about the symbols and write down your thoughts on the whole thing, as evidenced by the sheets of paper peeking out from between the pages. 

“Nothing important.” you replied, hoping that the kid would leave it at that.

“(Y/N), come here please.” James called out to you from the hallway.

You got up and went to see what happened, leaving the boy alone.

You found your uncle, an irritated look on his face, and by his side none other than that insufferable woman, beating her foot against the hard wood floors of the museum, both of them staring daggers at each other. The moment she saw you, her entire face got red as a tomato and she began to scream like there was no tomorrow.

“YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CHILD, YOU PSYCHO?!”

Here we go people. Grab the popcorn and sit down. We’re in for a darn comedy this time.

“Hi to you too.” you said with half a mouth, being in no mood to swallow whatever trash she was going to throw at you.

“DON’T GET SMART WITH ME, YOU WITCH!” she screamed again. “MY CHILD SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT HOME! YOU ABDUCTED HIM TO MAKE YOUR STUPID RITES ON HIM, YOU DEMONIC W-”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” James interjected; his face just as red from anger.

He had no problem with people insulting and berating him. Let him have it! But! Under no circumstances would he stand around and accept for his niece to be treated like that. He took a deep breath, getting ready to continue when the woman began to shout again.

“HOW DARE YOU, YOU FREAK! THIS IS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! MY HUSBAND TOLD ME HOW MUCH OF A PSYCHO YOU ARE! HARMING YOUR LITTLE SISTER! WHO KNOWS WHAT ATTROCITIES YOU AND THIS WITCH ARE DOING?! VLAD!! COME HERE! I CAME TO SAVE YOU!”

She was about to head to the office when you saw the boy run to her, backpack and coat on and ready to go.

“Mommy, I…” he began but his mother stopped him.

“Hush now! Let’s get out of this pit of pagans right now.” she said and threw you and your uncle one last killing glare before she stormed off the door with her child in tow.

As soon as she was gone, you let out a relieved sigh, grateful that the whole situation didn’t escalate further. However, James was not of the same opinion. He was furious for failing to protect you once more. He tried to not let the woman’s words get to him, but the truth was that even after all these years, he was still pained by the misconception that he could never clear off. Was it really ok for him to pull you into his world? To force you to live a double life? Was it not selfish of him?

“Hey, uncle. Are you ok?” you asked, and gently touched his shoulder.

“I will. What about you?” he asked, trying to avoid your gaze.

Why burden you with his problems when you had your own?

“I’m fine.” you bit your lips, trying to find what else to say.

Did he really think you couldn’t see it? Under your touch, you could feel his body trembling even if slightly. He was hurt, that was obvious, and you didn’t know what to do to ease his pain.

“You’re cool, uncle. The best even. Don’t let what she said get to you. She’s crazy anyway. Don’t know what Patrick saw in her to put a ring on that finger.” you said trying to make a joke out of the situation.

“Thank you.” he said, smiling a bit, but the sadness was still there.

“Um, yeah. No need. L-Let’s go back to the office.” you said, clumsily pointing to the door, not knowing what else to do.

Where were the bugs when you needed them?

Just as you wondered about that, you heard the sound of something knocking at the window. You looked to see Kuro back with Quirrel, Hornet and Ghost on his back, waving at you. Ok! Finally something to take your mind off what happened.

While you were showing the bugs around, together with James and answering whatever question the teacher’s apprentice had. It was a fun time, the princess of Deepnest falling in love with the displays of dinosaurs and her eyes growing wide when she heard there used to be even bigger ones. Ghost was listening quietly, more interested in the stories about explorers and the lands outside the little world they knew about.

When it was time to leave, you were waiting for your uncle who went to gather your things, so you didn’t need to walk anymore than you already did. Truth be told, you were quite tired already and just wanted to crash into the warm bed in your room.

“Ready to go?” James asked, handing you your backpack and coat.

“Yep. Home, here we come!” you yelled happily as you went outside, Kuro on your uncle’s shoulder and the bugs comfortably sitting in your muffler.

Vlad flipped through the pages of the book, reading the notes his cousin meticulously made. The Birch. The Protector. Maybe she could help him.


	39. Protector

Radiance and Nightmare King were unusually quiet that night as you told them about the events. You could hear a high-pitched screech as Grandpa was digging his claws in the table cloth and ripping it to shreds as he dragged them across. He was angry beyond compare, but he tried not to let it show. Mom wasn’t any better. Despite her more calm appearance, you could feel the heat rising from her, and her light was getting a dangerously strong shade of yellow which gave you an eerie feeling. She, too, was boiling with fury. Maybe telling them what happened wasn’t such a good idea, but neither would have let it slide without receiving an answer. They saw how down James has been ever since you two came home and demanded to know why, now that you were in a dream, away from prying ears. You hoped Pale King would have accompanied you, but he was tired, and had a previous engagement that he couldn’t postpone. He apologized profusely for his absence, but you calmed him down, saying that it was ok. You weren’t the center of the universe after all, and truth be told, you didn’t see any reason to burden them with the madness of a woman that you couldn’t give a pile of stinking manure about.

You sipped the tea, but the taste was loss in the tension of the situation. Neither of the Higher Beings were saying anything, which only made it worse. You looked at the scenery, the Grimmkin flying around with sweets and torches of crimson light, the fake wind blowing through the leaves and carrying pink petals up into the scarlet skies. Nightmares are not so bad when you had Grandpa by your side.

“So…what are we going to do?” Radiance asked, her words shattering the veil of silence.

“I could scare her again. Obviously, last time wasn’t enough to hammer the message in her head.” Nightmare King replied.

“Don’t bother, Grandpa. I bet it won’t do anything this time either. She’s too thick to understand. I’m more worried about uncle.” you said, playing with the folds of your dress.

“We’ll deal with him too, my dear. Don’t worry about that.” Radiance assured you, placing one of her wings on your back.

You thanked her and wanted to talk some more when Grimm appeared, in a puff of red smoke.

“I hate to interrupt you guys, but the night is already over and (Y/N) must go to school.” he said clapping his hands.

“Oh, it’s already morning?” you said, surprised.

“I’m afraid so, my dear.” he affirmed.

You were about to get up and say your goodbyes when Grandpa wrapped his arms around you, preventing you from leaving him.

“You won’t die if you miss a day.” he said, letting out a purr.

“Stop acting like a kid. You’re an adult for goodness’ sake!” Grimm said exasperated.

“You’re no fun!” Nightmare King said, pouting as he let you go. “I’ll play with my grandson then.”

“Oh, you won’t!” The Troupe Master stomped his foot down, to make a point.

You and Radiance watched the two of them quarrel, the Higher Being obviously not taking his child seriously and delighting himself in his fit of rage. In the end, Pale King had to come and urge you to hurry up, least you wanted to be late for school. Disappointed, you woke up, ready for another day of stress and homework mountains…wait…YOU DIDN’T DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

“SHOT! SHOT! SHOT!” you yelled, dressing up in a hurry and looking at the clock on your phone.

7:10. There was no way you could make your homework in time. You haven’t even opened your backpack since yesterday at the museum. Ugh! What did you do all day?! Oh, yeah. Play with the children and talk to Gertrude on the phone, who cordially announced that she was going to drop for a visit the next week, when she was on holiday from her ranger duties.

You began to frantically open your backpack and throw its contents on the floor, Radiance and Pale King looking over your schedule and handing you the books you needed for that day, Grimm still stuck in the Nightmare arguing with his father. As you were filling it up, it dawned on you.

Where…where was your book about the Birch? You looked at the mess on the floor, searching for the white cover, yet it was nowhere to be found. Blood drained from your face, your mind playing the events from yesterday before your eyes. You rushed to your uncle who was already in the kitchen, preparing himself a coffee, Herrah and Monomon keeping him company, Vespa and her bees taking care of the flowers who had not withered with the coming of winter. Seeing your pale face, James panicked, nearly dropping the pot of water he took off the stove.

“(Y/N)! What’s wrong?!” he said, coming to check on you.

“Did you see the Birch’s book yesterday? When you were gathering my stuff?” you asked, hoping that what you thought happened wasn’t true.

“The one with bark as covers? No. Why?”

The world was shattering all around you.

Vlad hated field trips especially those in the forest. His boots were sinking into the muddy ground, oversaturated by the snow which began to melt. Why did the teacher think it was a good idea to get all those children outside, to a walk through the forest when there was only mire all around? The sky was clouded, the sun nowhere to be seen, a veil of grey covering the ether, making the trees look all the more ominous. The little boy was clutching the handlers of his backpack, each noise making him jump a little. His mind flew to the book he had on him, and the wand in his pocket. Would it even work? His mommy said that such things were impure, and none should approach him. But he was desperate.

Suddenly, he felt someone push him down and fell face first into a pile of mud, some of it getting into his mouth. Hot tears flowed down his face as he got up only to be told off by the teacher for not looking where he was going. He peeked at his bully who was smiling widely, happy to have gotten away with another bad thing. “I’ll show you, Freddy.” Vlad thought and continued to walk with the rest of the class, making sure to stay close to the teacher. He looked around at the trees they were passing by. No birch so far.

The teacher led her students to the outskirts of the forest, where there was a large field and, much to Vlad’s happiness, also a few birches growing around, with plenty of space for the children to play and run about as they saw fit. Vlad headed straight to one of the trees, doubt creeping into his heart. Maybe this wasn’t the best thing to do. Maybe he should talk to his mother and solve things that way. He didn’t notice how far from his group he was, now that he was followed, too lost in his thought.

Understanding how dangerous the situation was becoming, Kuro, Ghost, Hornet and Pure wasted no more time. They had to let (Y/N) know what was going on. The bugs opened the old flip phone James gave them and which was tied around the owl’s neck. Good thing he always had a spare mobile phone for all emergencies. Pure began to type the message, their siblings keeping an eye on the situation.

You were desperate, the pharmacist not moving fast enough, to get you the Chaga Mushroom pills. If things were to go down those were your best bet to appease the angry spirit.

“Calm down. Why are you in such a hurry? Is your uncle sick or something?” Henry asked, confused.

You run into him on the way to the pharmacy to get the pills, just as he was skipping class. Just to annoy you, he decided to hang around you, and he had nothing else to do.

“None of your business.” you replied and took out your phone, to see if your uncle had found the book.

You hoped it somehow fell of the desk in his office and he hadn’t seen it, but the longer you waited for an answer the clearer it was that that was not the case. Vlad did indeed steal it. For him to have it wasn’t a big issue, but your notes were between the pages with detailed explanations of what to do to summon the Birch. That was the real issue. When the pharmacist came to hand you the bottle, you nearly dropped your money, in your hurry and after paying, you ran straight out outside, followed by Henry who still had no idea what was going on. Once outside, you were ready to head to Vlad’s home, hoping to run into anyone else other than his mother, but stopped when you felt your phone vibrate. You opened it and read the message.

“Found. Field near forest. Birches. Someone follow.”

You went pale. The field near the forest was a good hour walk from where you were. No way you could make it in time.

“What’s wrong?” Henry asked, noticing your expression.

“The forest. I-I need to get there.” you said, feeling tears sting your eyes from the hopelessness. 

“Why? What is going on?” he asked, beginning to get alarmed himself.

“It’s …” you began but bit your lips before you let out anymore words.

What could you say after all? That your cousin stole a book about how to summon a forest spirit and that he might get some killed?

“Huh! Fine. Don’t tell me. But if you want to go to the forest, you will need a ride. Wait for me to call one of my buddies. He has a motorbike and can take us there in 10 minutes. Just a sec.” he said and took out his phone, already dialing someone.

He talked for a short while in which you tried to calm down and breathe in and out. Getting restless now wouldn’t help anyone, you knew that. After a few minutes, you heard the roar of an engine coming closer and closer. Henry’s friend appeared from behind the near corner, his bike screaming like an animal just to die out with an ugly cough when he turned it off. You waited for the boys to talk, feeling the pressure rise again. When the driver took off his helmet and handed it to Henry, your heart skipped a beat. He was going to be the driver?!

“Aren’t you coming? I thought you were in a hurry.” He said, handing you another helmet.

“Shut up.” you said and took the helmet, silently praying that this might not end up in an accident.

Vlad was already lost, his group nowhere to be seen, but it didn’t matter. He was somewhat embarrassed by what he was about to do, and the least people saw him, the better. He stopped in front of a birch and placed his backpack on the snowy ground and took out a black marker, the book and the symbol and began to draw on the white bark, while also reciting.

“For he who makes me I shall come, and he who breaks me shall come undone.”

He didn’t know if it would work but trying never hurt. When he was done. He looked around, expecting to see something, anything, but there was nothing, only the same melancholic visage of white snow, trees with weird shadows dancing in the background. There was nothing out of ordinary, no spirit or any other creature anywhere. Disappointed, the boy fell to the ground and began to sob, looking at the symbol made out of birch twigs.

A few minutes passed like that, him still expecting something to happen, but the silence was screaming the foolishness in his face. He calmed down and continued to read through the book, having lost all faith in that stupid hope. A spirit. Yeah right. He was too old for such stupid fantasies. Unlike the other children, his mother never lied to him about Santa, the Easter Bunny. She wanted him to know from whom those gifts were from. Some called her vain because of that, other called her selfish and the list continued. To him it didn’t matter. She was his mommy and she could do no wrong…right? He…he didn’t like how she screamed at his cousin yesterday. (Y/N) helped him after all. Maybe she wasn’t such a bad person like his uncle said. Everyone thought she punched his mother back at the family reunion but that wasn’t true. He was there. He saw his mother collapsing on the floor. When she woke up, she accused her of being a witch, of making deals with demons and other nasty things that the adults kept away from him.

“What are you doing here, wimp?”

Freddy’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts and made his blood freeze. Vlad tried to get up, only to be pushed back against the tree’s trunk by the other boy. On a whim, he took out the Birch symbol and held in front of him like a protective charm, screaming.

“Leave me alone!”

“Or what?” Freddy asked in a mocking tone.

“Or…or…” Vlad was stuttering, not knowing what to say.

Laughing, Freddy took the symbol and broke it in half, tossing the remains on the ground. He lifted the boy by the collar of his coat and was ready to fight when a loud, raspy voice began to talk.

_“For he who makes me_

_I shall come,_

_And he who breaks me_

_Shall come undone.”_

You were running like crazy through the trees, following Kuro who was flying in front of you, leading you to where the children had gone, Henry not far behind, trying to comprehend the situation. The first scream let you know that you were close, and thus you speeded up towards where it came from.

You reached the scene in time to see Vlad and another boy, cowering in fear, not far from them stood none other then who you could assume was the Birch. She was a tall creature, with a humanoid-like upper body, her lower half looking like the trunk of the tree whose name she shared and a skeletal face, with empty eyes and crooked teeth, a large crown of branches on her head. Her arms were long, and her fingers were like three branches, black as if made out of charcoal. Despite her pitch-black eyes one thing was clear. She was mad.

Kuro landed on the ground, wings spread in front of you, ready for battle, while the bugs were on your shoulders, Pure and Ghost having their nails out and also prepared to fight.

“What are we going to do, (Y/N)? We can’t take that thing on.” Hornet said, the truth of her words obvious as daylight.

“W-What the fuck is that?!” Henry screamed, finally catching up with you.

The Birch ignore you, her attention mainly focused on Freddy, the one who broke her symbol and was attacking the little boy. She was not one to stand idly while innocents were suffering. She was ready to give him a piece of his own medicine, when you yelled at her.

“Wait! Birch! I know Gertrude!” you screamed, when you saw her lift one of her arms, the intentions all too clear.

The name of the little girl froze the Birch in place. Gertrude. How long has it been since they saw each other? Was she even a young lady anymore? Time for humans passed so quickly. One blink, and small, energetic bodies were now feeble and old, waiting for death’s embrace, while she was and would always remain the same. She lowered her hand and watched you, expecting more.

“She…she said to tell you she misses you.” you said, the cold gaze of the Birch putting more pressure on you than Moder’s did the first time you faced him. “She’s going to drop over next week.” you continued, taking control over the tremor of your voice.

As you were talking, you took out the Chaga Mushroom pills bottle you brought and opened it, emptying its contents on the snow in front of you.

“She said you liked the scent of these. Henry, light them up.” you told him, the boy still frozen in place.

He made no move at first, until you told him to do that again, much harsher this time. He got to it, taking the lighter out of his jeans’ pockets and bending down to the pills, breaking a few so that the fire could devour them more easily. A strange scent rose into the air as the yellow dust was disappearing with each flame which flickered for a few seconds before dying as quickly as they appeared. Well, that was disappointing.

You looked at the Birch, hoping that your little stunt worked, at least a bit.

The Spirit stood still for what felt like an eternity, but then she left out a chuckle which was cut short by a raging scream as Freddy, tried to take the opportunity of her distraction and make a run for it. Next thing he knew, he was handing in the air, one of the Birch’s long fingers wrapped around his legs. The boy was screaming and pleading for his life with the angered creature.

“W-Wait! Please! Let him go!” you begged the Birch, scared to think about what she might do to the child.

_“Oppressors cannot be forgiven.”_

“Please! He’s just a child! And Vlad ain’t no angel either, I can assure you. Please. Give him another chance!” you continued to plead.

_“Would you forgive? Would you give one more chance to those who have hurt you?”_

The Birch asked and you looked at her dumbfounded. You looked at Henry who was also, just as shocked as you. Would you forgive him? Wasn’t that what you’ve been wondering about ever since the fair when you two talked? You didn’t expect to have to answer to that question so soon. But now you had too. There was no way back.

“Yes. I want to give him another chance. I want to leave the paste behind! I don’t want to have to think about it constantly anymore! Now please! Let him go!”

Tears were streaming down your face and you could feel it burn but from what, you weren’t sure. The Birch pondered your words for a while and then turned her attention to Vlad, Freddy still hanging in the air and crying, but at least he stopped screaming. Your cousin was still laying on the ground, fear paralyzing his limbs and making him unable to run despite every cell in his body demanding him too. When the Birch spoke, he unknowingly held his breath, too frightened to make the smallest of sounds.

_“You have called upon me, you alone can decide._

_Should this one leave? Or should he die?”_

Live or die. Freddy’s life was practically in his hands. He had the power to decide. Vlad could have his bully killed and be rid of him forever, but the thought left a bad taste in his mouth. Killing was wrong. Wasn’t that what everyone said? And as much as he hated the boy now, there was a time when they were friends and could get along. The bulling only started after his mother made a scandal during Halloween because she didn’t like that Freddy had the main role in the play his class put together. She wanted her baby to be the star of the show. No one would have had a problem with that, but the cast was already selected, and the deadline was too near to make the boys learn the lines and practice. That apparently didn’t sit well with his mother and she began insulting everyone calling Freddy’s mother some really mean words. That was how it all started and how it has come to this. Vlad didn’t want his friend to die. Not now. Not ever.

“Forgive him.” he said softly, the fear still preventing him from speaking too loudly.

Hearing the verdict, the Birch released the boy and Freddy fell on the ground with a loud thud. He wasn’t hurt judging by how quickly he got up, grabbed Vlad’s hand and dragged him away from there as he ran to safety, out of your view.

“He could have thanked you at least.” Hornet commented with her usual sassy attitude.

Ghost and Pure nodded, both of them relaxed now that the danger was over. Kuro flew back to you and took his usual spot on your shoulder, his eyes still following the Birch’s every movements though.

“Come on. Don’t be mean. They’re just children.” you said, grateful that no blood has been spilled.

_“Fear is strong. It clouds the mind, blinds one’s eyes. Gratefulness will be offered that’s for sure. Now, little child of man._

_Tell me. How is Gertrude doing? Is she alright? Too many winters have passed since we saw each other.”_

“She’s fine. Lives with her brother in…” you began to explain when you when interrupted by Henry’s screech.

“Eeeexcuse me?! But does someone mind telling me what’s going on?” he said, raising his hands in the air and gesturing to the bugs on your shoulders and the Forest Spirit.

“I’ll explain later, but for now shut up.” you said, waving him off.

“What?! No. Explain now!”

“Darn! You’re annoying. Shut up already!”

“No! I want an explanatiooooooooooooooo…”

Suddenly you saw Henry fly through the air and disappearing over the tops of the trees. Jaw dropped you looked at the Birch, thinking that maybe she wasn’t that calm after all, but what she said next, proved you wrong.

_“Too annoying. Couldn’t hear you. Manure pile not far away._

_It will make for a soft spot when he lands. Might stink for days though.”_

Yep. She was clearly a friend of Gertrude.

You were laying on the couch in the Nightmare Realm, Radiance by your side and the children running around and chasing each other and the flower petals taken by the wind, some trying to sneak on Pale King and scare him. He would pretend to jump and then scold them, but the glimmer of happiness in his eyes gave him away. Hornet and Ghost were climbing the trees and playing an aerial game of didge-ball with their siblings, bellow. Pure was by their mother’s side caressing Kuro’s feathers and feeding him pieces of raw meat from time to time as a reward for how brave he had been that day. James was talking with Herrah, well, mostly listening to her scold him about his eating habits. She really had a dislike fast food, huh?

Grandpa was nowhere to be seen, making Grimm comment on his absence, worried that his father might be pulling another stunt whose victim was definitely going to be none other than him. Not even Brumm’s music could calm him down, but luckily, Grimmchild’s demands for attention managed to take his mind off his concerns. Though Nightmare King’s absence was indeed a source of curiosity for everyone. After all, it was because of his request that you were all gathered there. He said he had something important to announce and now he was nowhere to be seen. Just what was he up to.

Finally, after half an hour he appeared, but he wasn’t alone. Carried in his arms was none other than Vlad, wearing a nice, black and red suit, an expression of awe on his face as he saw all the creatures and Henry walking by his side. You instinctively covered your nose, remembering the stench he had on him when he came back to you and the Birch, eyes shooting daggers at the Forest Spirit. He noticed you and gave you an exasperated sigh.

“Oh, come on! I don’t stink now!” he cried out, making you laugh.

“Sorry. Sorry.” you said, trying to wipe the smile off your face but in vain. It didn’t want to go away.

However, the others were not that amused by the situation. Grimm was face-palming, muttering curses in a foreign language, Pale King and Herrah shooting deadly glares towards the Scarlet One. James was the only one to talk.

“Nightmare King what is going on here? Could you explain please?”

“Is it not obvious? We’re here to celebrate the new addition to our lovely family!” he said, hugging Vlad closer to his chest.

“Then why am I here?” Henry asked, confused.

“For decoration.” the King replied, with the most bored tone ever.

“Father!” Grimm snapped at him.

“Ugh! Fine! Consider this my thanks for helping my beloved granddaughter with the Birch situation. Happy now? Ok! Let’s party everyone! That’s why we’re here after all!” he said and set Vlad down, clapping his hands and having music begin to fill the place, a much livelier tune than what Brumm had been playing, Grimmkin carrying glasses of champagne, plates with sweets many others flying through the air and offering them to the guests.

Everyone let out a collective sigh, knowing full well that there was no use in arguing with him. The children were already absorbing Vlad in their games, and the little boy was more than glad to participate, childish innocence at its best. Henry came and took a sit by your side, many pairs of eyes stuck on him, especially those of the Higher Beings.

“Is that guy always like that?” he asked you, taking a glass of champagne from one of the red ghosts.

“Yep. Don’t worry. You get used to him.” you replied and took a chocolate cookie from another.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For giving me another chance.” he said, scratching the back of his head, avoiding your gaze.

“Yeah. Whatever.” you said, an awkwardness settling in between you two. 

You ate the cookie quickly and then got up from the couch, feeling the need to move your feet around.

“Grandpa! Let’s dance!” you called out to Nightmare King.

He smiled and waste no time in grabbing your hand and pulling you into a quick ballroom type dance, moving around and trying to avoid bumping into anyone else, which was easy to do since there was plenty pf space around.

The next day, you were late for school. Again. 


	40. Troubled hearts

February was almost over, winter saying her goodbyes with heavy tears which poured upon the busy town and loud screams that echoed through the skies with the fury of a thousand cries, forcing children to stay inside and play while their parents were at work or visiting their friends. 

Luckily, thanks to a certain Jötunn, you and your friends could enjoy playing outside without much trouble from the rain, watching it fall down and the water drops crash against the invisible wall that was covering the entire garden, tall enough for the Birch to stand fully without having to bend down and for Kuro to fly a few times around the garden, sweeping down now and then, in a fake attempt to grab the children and take them along for the ride. Vlad was still a bit scared of her and had his reserves about being so near Moder, but the Ancient One didn't seem to care too much, ignoring even the stares Henry was throwing his ways. He seemed much more mesmerized by the Forest Spirit who decided to make the backyard her new home and was now talking with Gertrude, amazed at how much the young girl she once knew had changed. Olaf was at home together with Cody, having to stay behind and look after Ace and a few wolf cubs that Gertrude saved from poachers. You couldn't help but wonder if those guys were still alive after facing her and Moder. Unlike the Forest Spirit, you actually noticed the way the Jötunn was staring at her and a look that you saw only in movies and sometimes in real life whenever your parents were looking at each other. Looks like love was in the air. 

You let your cousin play with the children under the supervision of the Five Great Knights and White Lady, finally having a free day since their father was busy with something and couldn't keep the classes scheduled for that day and went to have a chat with the Norse Being. 

"Hey Moder." you said, receiving a wave of his hands in response. 

His eyes were still stuck on the Birch who was obvious to his presence. 

"So " you began, choosing your words carefully, "I noticed you staring at the Birch a lot. Do you like her?" 

Hearing your question, the Jötunn was startled for a bit before he began to wave his hands around like a child who had been caught doing something bad. You smiled and held back a chuckle. He was just too precious. 

"Hey now. It's ok if you do. Want some help confessing?" you asked, trying to sound serious and make him relax as well. 

Moder seemed to ponder your words for a while before he nodded shyly. He could really use some help as he knew not at all how to interact with females that he had an interest in, other than to turn them into his worshipers. This Birch was intriguing him. Her beautiful figure was a pleasure to look at and the sound of her voice felt like music to his ears. Each one of her movements was graceful and although a bit rigid, he liked to watch her. Her soulless eyes carried such a delicate aura inside of them, he would have liked to get lost in their darkness. He heard Gertrude talking about her back in Sweden and all the way here. He wouldn't have thought car rides were so long and uncomfortable. Due to his size, he had to travel in a large, metal wagon, big enough for him to sit up alright but leaving little room for other movement. Thank the heavens the old woman was stopping often and letting him stretch his feet before whenever they could. Thus he knew quite a lot about this Forest Spirit, her personality and ways of leaving so different from his already picking his interest, but now that he saw this magnificent creature in person, he had to wonder how come he hadn't met her sooner. He wanted to get to know her even more but how to do that, he had no idea. Thus your help was more than welcome. 

While you and Moder were busy with that, Henry was sulking in the corner. Even though it’s been a few days since he was tossed into the pile of manure by the Birch, and the numerous showers he had taken, the stench still clung to him like a leech and it was as strong as in the beginning. If the Birch wasn’t strong and there hadn’t been that many eye witnesses, he would have set her on fire long ago as revenge for what she did. He was sitting on the stairs, watching you and Vlad go about your business, trying to process what was going on. So apparently, all those things he heard about in tales about fantastic beasts were real, not just mere fruits of stupid folk tales. They actually existed. Who would have thought? He looked at you and the elk-like monster by your side. You said his name was Moder and he was a Jötunn. When Henry first saw him, he was frightened by the large creature, those yellow eyes as if peering into his very soul. He tried to act friendly, but the Jötunn was not impressed. Rather he seemed quite annoyed at the boy's presence, making angry noises whenever he was getting too close to (Y/N). Confused, Henry decided to keep his distance from him and her. He didn't want to be toppled down by an angry ancient being. 

As he was sitting on the stairs, he noticed something moving in the corner of his eyes, through the bushes of the garden, where Moder's veil did not reach. All week, he had the sensation of being followed. He shrugged at the thought, afraid to consider that maybe some supernatural creature might be after him for who knows what reason. Still, he was not one to just stand around and cower in fear. He got up and picked up a dead tree branch which was lying around after being abandoned on the ground after the children had gotten tired of playing with it, and headed to the bushes, the rain pouring down on him after he passed through the barrier of the Jötunn. 

Tightening his grasp on the branch, he approached the bush, ready to face whatever was there. When he was two steps away, something grabbed his foot and pulled it from under him, making him fall to the ground. Before he could understand what was going on, he was being dragged across the frozen soil, rain falling into his eyes and sharp twigs and rocks scratching his skin through the layers of clothes he was wearing.

Pale King looked at you, regaining his composure, and Moder, Grimm letting out a relieved sigh. One more minute and there would have been blood. When you first asked about the Wyrm for love advice, both of them were about to have a heart attack, thinking that some boy might have swooped you off your feet, but when you explained to him what was going on between the Jötunn and the Birch, they calmed down immediately. For them, you were far too young to be in love. You were still a child that needed guidance. Having a boyfriend or even a crush was out of discussion. Nope! Too young! Never even think about it!

Still, love advice for Moder. That…that was hard.

“How about flowers, my dear?” Grimm suggested, cradling his son to his chest.

“That might work.” you said, thinking of a nice bouquet Moder could offer to the Birch.

Gertrude brought some Chaga Mushrooms and there were some chamomile flowers growing in the basement. Sure it wasn’t a big thing, but a small bouquet of chamomiles and a gift of Chaga Mushrooms could please the Spirit Forest. But after that what?

“Ok, and then?” you asked.

“Then, the grand finale! The confession.” Grimm said, trying to do an exploding motion, but it was hard with only one hand.

Hearing that, Moder quickly waved his hands around in a denying motion, a violet hue spreading across his cheeks. Nope. For some reason, he wasn’t feeling like confessing, his feet trembling at the mere thought.

You and Grimm both held back a chuckle, looking at the poor creature.

Pale King sighed and stepped forward, closer to the Jötunn.

“I understand that it will be hard to tell her how you feel but trust me, it’s better to let it all out rather than hold it in. And she might actually like you herself.” he encouraged Moder.

The Norse being pondered the King’s words for a while. His father used to tell him the same thing, in his rare moments when he was sharing his wisdom among his children. It was no secret that Loki was a man who cared not what others thought of him and would only do and say what he wanted to. Sometimes, the Jötunn wished he had, at least, half the courage his father had. Maybe then this whole issue would be easier to deal with.

“Ok. I’ll go get some chamomile flowers for the bouquet, then. Be right back.” you said and left the three of them alone to head to the basement.

On the way, you couldn’t help but feel like something was missing, like an annoying buzz that wasn’t there anymore. Did you forget something? Oh, no matter. You had a friend to help now. Anything else could wait.

When Henry came to be, he was completely disoriented, his whole body hurting from the unpleasant trip. He was lying on the ground, somewhere deep in the heart of the forest, the rain still falling, uninterested in the dealings of the mortals below and their annoyance with it. He tried to get up, groaning at the pain emerging from his every muscle. Where was he? And what happened? He struggled to recall the events that led to his current situation but all that came to his mind was the rain, the bush and being dragged by…something.

A giggle coming from somewhere near him caught his attention. He looked around to see a small creature covered in mud from head to toe, its back turned to him and not paying much attention to the boy. It looked like one of those slime monsters in video games, the very weak kind that was an easy kill, except this was no video game but real life. Henry had no intention of what it was planning to do with him. He got up on his feet and tried to sneak out of there, making as little noise as possible. He got away from there quite a good distance, always keeping a close eye on the monster, ready to run out of there where it to turn and face him. However, luck was not on his side. He was near safety when he stepped on a twig, breaking it apart, its noise attracting the attention of the monster.

“Oh! You’re awake, my dear!” the monster said, turning to face Henry.

It was a female, judging from the sound of its voice. The boy kept silent nothing, not really knowing what to actually say. He let the monster continue further.

“I’m so lucky to have found you! I was ready to head back home in Netherlands, disappointed that I haven’t found a mate. But then I felt your scent and I knew you were my destined one! Oh! I’m so happy! I can’t wait for us to get married!” the monster said happily.

Henry’s face went pale. That monster wanted what?! Without a word, he turned around and ran out of there as if his life depended on it. And it sort of did, in a way.

You picked up some chamomile flowers from a pot near the window of the basement where the light fell through the window right on the shelves, underneath it, all filled with plants. You wondered why your uncle would plant flowers there, where no bee would go to collect their pollen. James was at work that day, having to catch up on the work he missed last week with Vlad and the woman. You looked one last time at the flowers in your hand, counting them and making sure the number wasn’t a pair. 13. Lucky. You were ready to get back to Moder and the others, when you noticed something. In the corner of the room, there was a something that looked like a door which you haven’t seen before, its color very close to that of the floor, making it easy to miss. Pushed by curiosity, you approached it and got down on your knees, thinking that maybe this was a bad idea. James never told you about it which only meant that he didn’t want you to know of its existence. “Or maybe he just forgot…” temptation whispered in your ear. It was wrong, you were fully aware of it, but it was too late to stop. You placed the flowers on a shelf nearby and bent down, grabbed the handle of the door, a metal ring and pulled it up slowly, like a thief trying to get into someone else’s house.

As soon as the door was slightly open, something small and dark crawled from underneath it, glowing white eyes staring at you. You let out a scream, letting go of the door’s handle and backing away quickly, frightened by the strange creature showing up. Your outburst scared it as well, the poor thing running to hide in the shadows now that it could no longer get back home. You calmed down after a few seconds, breathing in and out to attenuate your wild heartbeat.

“I’m sorry I scared you, little one.” you said, moving to see the creature better, its bright eyes obvious in the darkness like two lanterns.

You lifted your hands in front of you, to show it you had no ill intentions as you slowly approached it. It looked at you, the fear obvious in those orbs, but curiosity soon took over, and it came out from the shadows, allowing you a clear view of its shape. It resembled the Wyrm and Root’s children a bit, except that its body was completely black save for the eyes, and it had no limbs only dark tentacles at the extremities. It was…cute and strange at the same time, cold chills running down your spine for some reason. What was it? And why was James keeping it away from you? You reached out a hand, palm wide open, slowly as to not startle it and waited to see its reaction.

The little one looked at you and then at your extended hand before getting closer, one of their tendrils hesitantly touching your fingers, their cold touch sending shivers through your skin. On the other hand, seeing as you didn’t do anything to them and enjoying the new found warmth, they leaned in into your palm, rubbing their head against the hot epidermis, like a cat leading into its owner’s chin scratches. They were adorable, but their appearance kept unsettling you. It just reeked of something dark. You played with the little one, well, mostly rubbed their head and let it fly through your fingers, wondering what happened else was beyond that door. Were there more children like them? Why were they there in the first place? You were halfway decided to open the door and see what was there when you heard Grimm call you out.

“(Y/N)! Are you ok?”

“Y-Yeah! I’ll be right back!” you replied and got up on your feet, nearly forgetting about the little one, still clutching your fingers with their tendrils. “Oh! Sorry, little one.” you said and kneeled down to open the door again, a little, enough for them to sneak back in.

They did so, reluctantly, looking back at you one last time before disappearing into the darkness beneath the door. After they left, you got back up, taking the chamomile flowers and returning to the others. Your mind was filled with all sort of questions, feeling strange about the whole situation. Ashamed on one hand for sticking your nose where it didn’t belong and betrayed on the other one, because nobody told you anything about those little ones so far. Were they keeping it away from you deliberately? It must be so. Why else haven’t you heard about them so far?

You walked into the room where Pale King and Grimm were siting on the window sill, Moder’s head peering inside through the opened glass doors. Radiance joined the party too, having been occupied with talking to her brother until then. She still had her doubts about including Vlad and Henry into the family and having them around. Although she knew it wasn’t right, she couldn’t help judging the boy based on his mother’s actions as well. She still hadn’t forgiven the boy for the trouble he had caused in the past. She also feared his parent might find out about him coming to that house and unleash hell on both you and James. If that happened, not even Grimm could stand between her swords and that woman’s face. She was still trying to understand why her brother was so hellbent on having Vlad around. Ok, she knew he had a soft spot for children and couldn’t stand aside and simply watch the kid being raised by a mother who was unable to give him a proper education, but then there was the matter of Henry. They both knew what he had done to you, so why have him anywhere near you. To that, her brother answered her with a wide grin.

“So that I can keep an eye on him and punish him easier, my dear sister. I learned that slowly torturing humans is far more effective than making them go through it all at once. And enjoyable.”

Radiance froze, hearing Nightmare King’s statement. There were times when she forgot his true nature, one that is violent and yearning for other’s pain and fear, one that he himself was not proud of, even disgusted sometimes, hiding it deep inside his being, covering it with all the love he had for his grandchildren and son. But now, he was making use of it to avenge the pain you felt all those years. You may have forgiven Henry for what he had done, but that didn’t mean he had to go unpunished. At this, the Old Light said nothing. Well…she didn’t really have a problem with the boy getting punished, but did he really need to be close to you!?

The conversation still fresh in her mind, she was grateful for the distraction provided by Moder’s dilemma about how to confess to the Birch.

“Hey dear!” the Moth greeted you as soon as her eyes fell on you. “Something wrong?” she asked, noticing your long face.

“N-Nothing.” you said immediately, startled.

You couldn’t tell them. You couldn’t let them know about what happened, about you finding out about the little one. You wanted answers, but were afraid of the truth, of seeing their disappointed faces. You couldn’t ask them. Not now. You didn’t have the guts to do so. Another thought screaming in your face. Just how much did you know about them in reality? Nothing. You had no idea about their past, about the kingdom that they had to leave behind. You’re been sharing the same roof, spilled your heart in front of them, begging them for help whenever you could, but you never once asked about them. Like a spoiled brat, you were too self-absorbed to care about them. You put on a façade, forcing a smile to hide the storm inside. You handed Moder the bouquet of flowers and said, trying to keep a happy tone.

“Here, we have the bouquet, the gift. Do we need anything else?” you said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

“Only for courage. Now…does anyone else feel like something is missing?” Grimm asked looking around the room. 

“You too?” you asked surprised.

“Yeah. Now that you mention it… I bet it’s no big deal, however. Otherwise we would all know what it was.” Radiance said waving it off and returning the conversation to the problem at hand.

How to deal with Moder’s confession?

“Where are you, my love?” the mud monster screamed out, looking all over for Henry.

The boy had climbed in a tree, holding onto it with dear life, sweat dripping down his face from both exhaustion and fear. That creature was faster than he anticipated, or maybe at fault was that he was tired and still in pain. He was praying for her to go away so that he could leave and go back to (Y/N) place, the nearest safest place.

“There you are, love!”

Shot! She found him!

You were looking at the Jötunn, together with the bugs, hidden behind one of the tree trunks in the garden, encouraging him silently as he approached the Birch, she and Gertrude still talking. The children were now playing inside, White Lady and Herrah making you promise to let them know everything that happened. His hands were clutching the Chaga Mushrooms and the Chamomile bouquet with each step he made. Where was his father when you needed him?! He could defuse any situation no matter how tense and Moder needed that now more than anything.

The old woman noticed his approaching and as on cue, excused herself, leaving the two beings alone together. She saw you and the others and hurried to your side, eager to enjoy the show.

You all watched Moder hand the Birch the flowers and gift, judging from the body language, he was feeling a bit embarrassed.

The Forest Spirit accepted the offerings, surprised at the gesture of the Norse One. She knew their kind, their pride and desire for worship. For one of them to be gifting one of lower status was pretty unheard of. Still, she couldn’t deny that she had a certain… fondness for this creature. The forests could hide nothing from her. She heard their whispers, their tales of a monster who roamed through the trees and protected the lands it called home. It would be a lie to say that she wasn’t interested in meeting him for a while now, face to face at least. Her gaze followed him many times as he went about his business through the other birches, unbeknown to him or anyone else. Due to their difference in rank however, she never interacted with him. To have him make the first step…she couldn’t deny that it was a relief.

She looked down at the flowers, and then at the Chaga Mushrooms. A nice offering indeed. She smiled, caressing the petals with her long fingers, a glimmer of joy reflecting in her eyes.

“Thank you.” she said, black, soulless eyes staring into yellow orbs.

Moder blushed, letting out words in ancient languages. It was now or never.

He began to tell her about how he felt, a burden lifting from his heart the more he spoke. The Birch listened; her own heart moved by what she heard, a desire she didn’t know beginning to burn brighter and brighter. When he was done, silence ensued, the Jötunn waiting nervously for the other one’s answer.

“L-Let’s give it a try.” Birch said reaching out a hand and grabbing Moder’s.

He couldn’t believe it. It worked. It actually worked! Overcame with joy, he let out a happy scream just as you guys got out of your hiding spot congratulating the two love birds, Gertrude making her usual snarky remarks about the couple. You were all discussing about throwing a party when out of the bushes, came none other than Henry all covered in mud and dirty water.

“Hello! Anyone lend a helping hand?!” he screamed, absolutely furious.

And he who believed they were actually looking for him.

“Oh! What happened to you?!” you asked, shocked to see him like that. And then it downed on you. He was the one you forgot about! “Whoops. Sorry!”

“Sorry? Sorry?!” he screamed, louder this time. “Do you have any idea what I’ve just been through?!”

“Nope. And we don’t care.” Grimm answered nonchalantly.

“Yeah. We had our own thing going on. You’re a big boy. You can take care of yourself.” Gertrude added and headed to the house. If there was going to be a party, there had to be meat! No questions asked. 

Henry looked at you all, mouth agape. He was so done.

“You know what?” he asked, sarcastically. “I’m going home! Bye!”

And with that, he turned and left, leaving you all confused and wondering what was going on with him.

The night passed on full of joy, Moder and Birch dancing as they could on the tunes and the music. You watched them with a smile on your face, before you joined them together with Kuro, James also coming along, forcefully made to dance by Gertrude who was determined to have fun. Everything was fine, but when the music stopped and you went back to your room, dark thoughts came over you once more. You couldn’t stop thinking about the little one in the basement, unable to understand why they were there and why no one told you about them. Just what was going on?

For better or worse, you will soon have your answers, because after tasting the warmth and joy of the outside world once, they wanted to do it again.


	41. Kitty and baby

Their father told them they had a sister, a being not of their kind yet, loving and dear to his heart, just like them. They listened for who knows how many times to the sibling who managed to see her, when the door of their chamber opened for the first time and they sneaked out, curious to see a world so far denied to their eyes. They shared their experience with their other siblings, letting them know of the warmth, of the kindness shown. They wanted to leave, wanted to feel and know what lied beyond that gate. Their father wouldn’t allow it, too scared something might hurt them, but he was not the only one who had power over them. Another one came, the day when everything changed, following the little ones, out of curiosity or fear of being lonely, though this one couldn’t tell for sure.

Silent they stayed all this time, whenever the light came, their presence they hid so well, none could detect it. Now, pushed by the little ones’ desire for freedom, they decided to reveal themselves, bored too by the darkness and hungering for the energy that they could feel pouring through every time that door was opening. They had a form in mind, a creature they heard the King talking about, loved by all yet feared by bugs for its playful nature. It could be fun, or so they thought. There was no harm in trying anyway. A chance to both explore the world and take vengeance on the one who caused the shades so much pain. This form seemed most appropriate in that case. Time to have some fun.

Saturday. You’re favorite day of the week when you could sleep as much as you wanted, Mom, Grandpa and the children more than glad to keep you by their side. You opened your eyes a little, the sunlight peering inside your room through the balcony curtains, yet sleep still hung heavy on your eyelids, forcing them close. You took a more comfortable position and was ready to get back to sleep and the scarlet garden. You were half-way there when you heard the door slightly open and soon after, felt something heavy climb on your back. You paid it no attention, thinking it might have been Kuro. He did like to crawl in your arms in your sleep sometimes after all. However, that thought flew out the window when you heard some strange, static noises coming from whatever was on your back. You opened your eyes quickly and got up, trying to see what was going on.

There, on your back, was a strange, huge, black cat with eight bright white eyes, its body looking as if covered in some kind of dark slime which tried to imitate fur. Between their ears were a pair of long horns as well as on the side of their face. You looked at it amazed, trying to think of where it came from.

“Erm…hello?” you said, confused. Wait. Why were you talking to a cat?

The feline looked at you, tilting their head on the side, not making any sound. You spend a few minutes staring at each other like that until Radiance, who had been sleeping by your side in the cat bed with the children, woke up, wondering why you weren’t in the dream already.

“(Y/N), dear, why aren’t you sleeping?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

The cat looked at her and it let out a loud, static growl the moment its big white eyes fell on it. The Moth stared at it in shock, freezing at the sight of her ancient enemy, the Void. What were they doing there? Pale King said that they were locked in the basement, even better abandoned in the remains of the old Hallownest. Even more alarming, why were they near you? She tried to move but had no strength to. The fear of having to face her ancient enemy keeping her in place, her mind clouded by concern. If they were to fight now, nothing good would come of it. You would definitely get hurt. She couldn’t allow that.

You looked at Radiance and then at the strange feline, and then it downed on you. Cats liked to catch bugs!

“Sorry, little one. This moth is not your toy.” you said and moved, trying to get up, which consequently forced the feline to find another spot to sit on and glare at Radiance.

However, as soon as you were on your feet you picked them up, much to their surprise, holding them up to your eye level. Their body was cold, soft and somehow slimy, chills running through your skin with each second you touched them, but you refused to let them go. You stared into their white eyes, trying to make sure the message was going to sink in.

“I don’t know where you came from little buddy but none of the bugs in this house are your toys, understand?” you said in a serious tone, not breaking the eye contact.

The cat made no sound, just staring at you, not even blinking.

“(Y/N), please put that monster down. Even better throw it out the window!” Radiance said, finally recovering from the shock of seeing you hold that creature.

“Oh, come on! They can’t be that bad.” you said, feeling the story with Kuro repeating all over again.

“N-No…you…you don’t understand!” the Moth cried out, but how could she explain what that thing was?

How could she tell you about what she did? What Pale King did to his own children?

You were about to ask her what happened, concerned by her obvious restless mood, when you heard Grimm’s high-pitched scream from the second floor. You quickly ran to see what was going on, the odd cat still in your arms. Once in the bugs’ room, you found them gathered in a large circle in front of the troupe’s tents, the Troupe Master was jumping around, drunk in happiness as his son was walking on his own two feet towards Brumm saying “Bumm” all over again, in the most adorable voice you ever heard.

Apparently Grimmchild just had his first molt and as a result he was a tad bigger than before and had legs of his own and was able to talk a bit more coherently. His father was over the roof with joy, jumping and squeaking with glee witch each successful step the little one made. When his son tripped and fell down, he was by his side in the blink of an eye, ready to comfort him and shower him with love. From within the Nightmare Realm, Grandpa was watching it all, the entire land reflecting his joy with loud, lively music and Grimmkin dancing around him. There had to be a party! No objections, this had to be celebrated! Without waiting one second more, he ordered his servants to begin and make the preparations for the feast he was going to hold. Everything had to be perfect! Woe to the ones who dared and even think of ruining this day.

You and the others stared at Grimmchild in awe, overjoyed to see the baby walk his first steps, the beautiful moment making you completely forget about the cat in your arms. You saw Ghost and Pale King approach the father and son, the small, black bug clearly happy for their friend.

“I wish to express my deepest congratulations for this special occasion, Troupe Master. Watching our children grow up is the most beautiful thing we as parents could be blessed with.” he said, smiling and caressing his child’s head.

Grimm nodded with a smile on his face as he hugged his son closer to his chest. He understood what the Wyrm said all too well, for he was not supposed to live and see such a day. He was meant to die, and the flames of his departure feed his child as he would be raised by another. To see his baby grow and be by his side, he could never thank anyone enough for such a chance.

“My most sincere gratitude for this and I hope you are all ready for the feast we will uphold to celebrate my son’s first molt.” he turned from the King and gestured with one hand to the entire gathering of bugs, his scarlet eyes passing over the sea of faces staring at his son with love.

His expression cracked a little when he saw the one you were holding in your arms. To say he was surprised would have been an understatement, but nothing could cloud his happiness on that special day. He made a light bow to the Higher Being, before addressing them.

“Ah! What a beautiful day indeed. To have the Lord of Shades be here with us on this occasion.”

Everyone turned around to look at you, fear taking over them at the sight of the black creature. However, the most terrified one seemed to be none other than the Pale King himself. You could see the fright in his eyes, same as with Radiance before. You thought at first it was only because they were a cat but now you could see that there was something more at the bottom of it.

The Lord of Shades couldn’t care less now. They enjoyed being in your arms, the warmth of the embrace, so different from their cold body and the chill of the Abyss they used to call home once. Their sibling, now part of them, wasn’t wrong. Torturing the Wyrm and Moth could wait. This feeling was too comfortable to break away from.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” Gertrude said, appearing in the doorway, followed by a sleepy James, your uncle still in his pajamas, and the old woman already with mud on the edges of her pants from her morning walks.

Gertrude looked at the odd feline, leaning her face closer as she examined them, receiving a static groan in return. Shade Lord clearly didn’t like to be watched as if they were an item on display at some museum, their nose picking up the scent of trouble surrounding her. This woman was not someone to be messed with.

“Don’t know. I found them in my room this morning.” you said, rubbing their chin at which the Lord of Shades more than happily leaned into.

“Looks like this family just keeps on growing.” Gertrude said with a smug grin on her face.

“Oh, boy. I wonder what’s next then?” you said, laughing but deep down, you couldn’t help but worry.

Talking bugs, an ancient Norse creature, a Forest Spirit and now a Higher Being made of something strange. What was next? Aliens?


	42. The party

“I don’t think I can dance anymore.” you said, crashing together with Pure with whom you danced until then.

They nodded in agreement, tired as well from the long hours of partying. A Grimmkin came to offer you something to eat and drink, the tray they were carrying filled to the brim with sweets and different glasses each full with a different liquid. You choose a chocolate cupcake and a glass of lemon tea, while Pure settled for hot chocolate and cheesecake. You both ate while watching the others have a great time, the star of the party, Grimmchild, dancing with Ghost, their moves sloppy and not at all elegant, but that didn’t stop Grimm from nearly rolling on the floor in joy. Nightmare King was standing in a corner, watching the two from afar and despite his calm demeanor, anyone could tell that he was happy, the realm reflecting his mood like a mirror of his soul. The music was getting louder and livelier, the shades of red turning from faded to powerful, and the fires in the lanterns becoming stronger and wilder each time his grandson was making a step. Kuro was sitting on the side of a chair near you, stuffing his belly with the meat provided, James and Gertrude were also dancing, your uncle obviously wanting to take a break, sweat flowing down his face like a river, but the old woman had no plan to let him go. Vespa was surrounded by her bees, chatting with her knight and generally enjoying herself. Herrah and Hornet, Monomon and Quirrel, Lurien and his attendant were also gathered together in their own group discussing the recent events. Vlad was playing with the little bugs, chasing each other around and laughing. Moder and the Birch talking in a corner, completely absorbed by each other, to care for the world around them.

Everything was beautiful and it would have been almost perfect were it not for a huge, black creature standing somewhere in the corner, eight glowing eyes staring down at the party unfolding in front of them, their mere presence intimidating the bugs. Shade Lord was not fond of social events, preferring to spend their time alone with the shades of the children offered to them in exchange for obedience and means to contain the light. But curiosity got the better of them and so did the desire to mess with the two Lights. They could taste the fear in the Wyrm and the Moth, even as the two had their back turned at them, trying their hardest to ignore their presence, but in vain. They could feel those white orbs piercing the back of their heads, waiting for something to happen. However, Shade Lord was no fool. They knew that while trapped in this nightmare, it would be an absolute stupidity to try and do anything that could ruin the party. They could sense the Nightmare King had regained a considerable amount of his power and they knew that he was not one to think twice when angered enough, especially today when he was overflowing with happiness. Besides, the Lord of Shades had no quarrel with him nor anyone of his kind and didn’t see a point in making an enemy out of him. For now, they had to be satisfied with the fear they were inducing to the Higher Beings. But they will get their chance for revenge, sooner or later.

Cold sweat was running down the Wyrm’s back, Radiance not feeling any better. Their greatest fear came to life. The Shade Lord was there, in their full, terrible power and without any doubt, you will soon start to ask questions and they had no other choice but to reveal the truth. If it weren’t for his son, Grimm would have been just as worried, but nothing could overshadow the happiness of that day for him and everyone knew that if they did, the consequences would have been drastic. They threw sneaking glances towards you and Pure, relieved that the Lord of Shades kept their distance from you, at least for now. But what will happen tomorrow? Or the day after? You will demand answers, ones that they didn’t feel ready to give. Fate was a cruel mistress, wasn’t she? Happiness never lasts. It must always be offered back and replaced with pain and sorrow. That was just how life worked.

You looked at the two Lights, wondering what was going on. There was something between them and the black creature and it ate away at you. You wanted to know the truth but didn’t dare ask for it today. This was Grimmchild’s day and no one had the right to ruin it. Everyone was here to enjoy themselves and congratulate the little one and he deserved it. Yet, something was missing again.

“Do I still stink?” Henry asked, as his father dumped another bucket of tomato juice on him.

The bathroom was ruined, and the boy had to make it squeaky clean least he wanted to be grounded for years.

“Let me check.” his father said and removed the hook blocking the stench from entering his nose. He sniffed the air once before putting it back. “Yep. Better stay here some more.”

“Fuck!” Henry cussed out, just to be smacked in the back of the head by his father.

You and Pure were done eating and now just relaxing and watching the show, together with several others. At some point, the Lord of Shades came near both of you, probably bored of doing nothing and began to talk with the bug. Much to your surprise, the two were speaking in coherent words.

“So, how are you and the rest?” Shade Lord said, looking at the white, noble garments Pure wore.

“It’s…well…” the child replied in a low tone, almost a whisper, not daring to look the creature in the eyes.

“Is that right? And I take it that she is our sister that I heard so much about.” The creature said looking at you now.

Wait. “Our”? Were they somehow related to Pure and the children?

You threw the knight a confused look, but they avoided your gaze too, hands fiddling with the folds of their coat. Shade Lord noticed that but chose to ignore it and continued.

“We may know each other’s names, but we never had a proper introduction. So, let’s do it again. I’m the Lord of Shades. And you?” they said, offering a hand to shake. They had 4 in total.

“I-I’m (Y/N). Nice to meet you.” you said and shook it, ignoring the chill creeping down, then it downed on you.

It was the same feeling you had gotten when you saw the little one back in the basement.

“I see you have something to say. May I hear it?” they asked and if they had a mouth you could have sworn, they would grin at you.

Pure looked at you now as well, concern written all over their face.

“Perhaps…” Shade Lord continued, their voice dripping with arrogance “it has to do with a small shade in a certain base-”

“(Y/N), my dear, come dance with me!” Grandpa interrupted them, pulling you away from them and onto the dancefloor.

Shade Lord said nothing of this, though visibly bothered by the Nightmare King’s interference. They sat down near Pure and resumed their conversation from before, their eyes still following your moves as you danced with the Scarlet One and at the children playing happily all over the place.

“Seems like you and the others are truly leading a better life now that those idiots’ quarrel is over.” they said, taking a glass of champagne from one of the Grimmkin floating nearby.

“Father … changed.” Pure replied, still not used to hearing the sound of their own voice.

“Hmm…” Shade Lord pondered that for a moment.

Indeed, something was different about the Wyrm. His aura felt somehow more…relaxed, not at all like it used to be all those times when he came to them, begging the void to bow to his wishes, to seal Radiance away. The means he resorted too out of desperation, even Shade Lord was beginning to question his ways and if that kingdom truly deserved such sacrifices to be made. At first, they felt pity, but with each life offered and then abandoned in the darkness, their compassion turned to anger and then a burning rage that could not be controlled. When they had to leave, they were actually surprised. The King wanted to take the shades along, unable to leave them behind. Was he feeling guilty? Hard to believe. But then why? These questions were enough to make the Higher Being abandon his plans of destruction in favor of satisfying their own curiosity. Thus, they followed and watched in silence, as the Pale One tried to do what looked like redeeming his wrongs, to create a bond between him and the ones whom he so easily discarded for the sake of the kingdom he created. Did that mean earn the Dark One’s forgiveness? Not at all. However, to say that it didn’t affect them somehow would have been a lie as well. They still yearned for vengeance, to return the pain of the abandoned children, but not as strongly as before. Partially, due to the little ones begging them to give their father another chance. They were never good at denying the shades anything, a weird feeling stopping them from saying no. Was that paternal love? … as if. Still, they had no intention of letting the matter settle like this and allow the King to get away with as much as a slap on the wrist. Straight out torturing him wasn’t to their liking though. Their mere presence was enough to send the King in a panic, and when they were close to that girl, they could feel that fear growing even more. And it wasn’t only him. It was the Moth as well. While their anger towards the Old Light wasn’t as strong as the one towards the Pale One, the Moth wasn’t going to be spared either. It was her useless rage and the Infection birthed from her madness that led to the tragedies in the first place. The Lords of Shades was going to have fun tormenting those two, even more so knowing that all they had to do was just hang around you. And so far, they had to admit, you weren’t bad company.


	43. Time Flies

Spring was nearly over, Easter holiday passing as if it was never there. Shade Lord took to living with the others quite well. They loved to lay in your lap while you were doing your homework or climb on your back when you were working in the garden. Them and Kuro cared little for each other, except for when the owl was on your shoulder and would rub his head against your cheek. Then, the Lord of Shades would jump on your free shoulder and would proceed to do the same as the bird, but harder and a bit more aggressive. You noticed that whenever you and the owl were acting friendly to one another, they would interfere, trying to get your attention. You couldn’t decide whether to find it adorable or odd, but one thing was sure. Both your shoulders and cheeks needed a break. Ouch! You never found out what happened between them and the other two Higher Beings, Pale King always acting busy whenever you tried to bring it up and Radiance acting like she didn’t even hear the question. Asking Grimm was quite useless, the Troupe Master facing his own challenge. Getting his child to school and teaching him how to speak properly. The poor baby was in no way willing to cooperate on any level when it came to the first thing, crying and hiding whenever his parent was trying to talk to him about his studies.

Thanks to Birch’s help, the tunnels for the new kingdom were built in no time, together with lakes where the water could gather during rainy days. When Moder and Gertrude left back to Sweden, she waited for her love to call upon her and since then, she moved with them, but dropped by from time to time to check on you and Vlad. As for your cousin, his mother still didn’t know that he was coming to visit you every now and then when his parents weren’t home, sometimes you even went to pick him up when school was out, and every night Grandpa would go to visit him together with Grimmchild. Vlad was no fool. He knew how Camelia would have reacted if she ever found out about where he was going, the bugs, the Birch and all those magical creatures. He kept it all a secret and with parents that were absent most of the time, that wasn’t hard.

Time was going on as always, tests were coming and going, failed and taken, going out with friends when you could, taking care of the house. Mundane things for a mundane life. Not that anyone minded. Winter brought enough craziness as it was, and everyone was thankful for the break. Sometimes, taking things slow was the best thing ever. Still, why did holidays have to pass so quickly?

You came back from the holiday, the time spend with your family draining you more than you thought it would. But at least you weren’t forced to attend the family reunion that time, which was a win, judging from the looks of envy May and Rea gave you as they left. This time, no bugs tagged along, Herrah, Pale King and Grimm looking after them like hawks stalking their prey. Shade tried to sneak in your luggage a few times but due to their large mass, you always noticed them right away and so they had no other choice but to stay behind. Eh, at least they could annoy the Wyrm and Moth in the meantime. That was always fun. Only Kuro had the chance to accompany you, and the look on your father’s face when you came out of the house with the owl resting in a cage and ready for the road.

“What is that?” he asked, pointing to the bird.

“My friend. He hates being away from me so I’m bringing him along.” you answered nonchalantly although you knew what he really meant, but you had to be strong if you wanted Kuro to stay with you.

Your father wanted to argue, but changed his mind at the last second, a grin settling on his face.

“Ok, but you’ll have to explain to your mother. Your pet, your responsibility.” he said and got into the car.

You gulped when you heard him, knowing that your mother wouldn’t be very keen on having another pet in the house, especially one she considered to be wild and needing to be free. During the whole ride home, you thought of all the ways you could explain her the circumstances you and Kuro were in. You never told your parents about the Sweden trip, making some other excuse as to why you wanted to stay at your uncle’s place during the last school break. Needless to say, they were still reluctant to let you stay even when they finally agreed. Now you had to explain why you had an owl as a pet. Oh, boy! That would be some conversation.

Just as your father predicted, your mother’s face nearly dropped when she saw the bird, cuddled in your arms like a baby, sleeping deeply.

“(Y/N), why do you have an owl?” she asked in a calm voice, but you could hear the tension hiding beneath her tone.

“My friend. His name is Kuro. You don’t need to be afraid of him. He’s really docile, trust me.” you answered, trying to alleviate the mood in the room. 

Your sisters were looking at Kuro, Rea unable to decide whether she could care or not, while May was shooting you deadly glares. Your pet, your responsibility. No way she would clean up after him. Your mother’s expression, however, became sterner the longer her eyes rested on the bird.

“Where did you get him? Owls are wild birds, not pets. Do you have any idea how much harm you’re doing to him, by keeping him near you? He might forget how to survive in the wild.” she said, glancing accusatory your way.

You kept silent for a while, wondering what to say. You did bring up this subject with Gertrude, worried that indeed you are actually harming Kuro instead of helping him. She laughed hearing it and said that such a thing was impossible since he was not never a wild owl.

“Oh, I never told you about that?” she said looking at your confused face. “Kuro is a familiar. He used to serve an old tree spirit which lived in the forest but who died when the forest burned. Too bad you didn’t meet him. He was quite an ok guy. He could have worked more on his humor though. I and Olaf were quite surprised to see him live after the death of his master. Usually familiars die together with the ones they serve. So never fear that he might need to go back to the wild. He never belonged there to begin with.”

“Does that mean I’m his new master?” you asked, a bit confused but also mad that no one told you anything about this, and even more so that you couldn’t be angry at Kuro for he was too adorable for someone to not love him. Once again, where is the cuteness police?!!

“I’m afraid not, my dear. Kuro is attached to you but that’s about it. You two are just friends for now. Familiars feed on their master’s magic in order to survive. While humans can have familiars, the process to bind one to them is very dangerous and the chances for it to succeed are quite low and even when it does, the familiar must still be fed. Since humans don’t have any magic to offer, the familiar takes something else in exchange for their service. Emotions, lifeforce, blood, sometimes even flesh. As you can see, for humans having a familiar is too dangerous.”

“But Kuro’s master id dead. He has nothing to feed on now.” you said feeling the blood in your face drain.

Will he starve then? Is he in pain? What will be of him?

“As I said, usually familiars die together with their master but there are exceptions. In such cases, the familiars go on with their lives until they find the next master. Their powers are limited, and they live as simple animals with a huge appetite for food. Some, but those are extremely powerful and are mostly demons, simply return to the underworld. So don’t worry about him. He’s perfectly fine, but only eats a freaking lot.” the old woman explained, and her words did offer some comfort, but you still couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe Kuro wasn’t that alright.

And now another question rose. Will Kuro abandon you when he finds a new master? 

“His owner died last winter, mother.” you said, unable to utter any other world.

Your mother didn’t say anything after that and let you be, but you knew she had her eyes on new.

Fortunately, Kuro grew on your father after a few days and you found him feeding the owl large pieces of meat when he though nobody was looking. May was also beginning to warm up to the bird and would sometimes ask you to let her pet him and even help you with taking care of him, which wasn’t much since Kuro mostly took care of himself without bothering you much. His previous master was a tree spirit after all. Overall, the family received him well, and everything went smoothly. You helped around the house, did your chores went to church, stayed home and took long walks through the village, accompanied by Kuro, enjoying the nice air of spring, before the heat of summer kicked in. It was the little things that make you happy.

Now you were back home, surrounded by the bugs and everyone else, enjoying the time you guys had together before summer break came, and you had to leave again, leaving James alone to deal with a mischievous princess, hundreds of children that wanted only to play and tried to escape their teacher’s lectures, a black cat which had a strange ire towards curtains and so many other. Or so you thought.

Nothing is ever what it seems, right?


	44. Careful What You Wish For

Steady and slow. That how it had to be done. Do not make haste. Least everything will be ruined.

Back turned against the predator, the element of surprise was in their favor. Eyes focused, claws digging into the carpet, strength gathered in their legs, their prey waiting in place, unsuspecting the events about to occur.

In the blink of a second, Shade Lord jumped, front paws stretched onwards ready to catch Pale King in their grasp. The Wyrm turned, but it was too late to react when he saw the black feline lunging forward. He stood there, like a deer in the headlights, accepting his fate, abandoning any hope of being saved.

Just as the cat was about to catch their prey, the door to (Y/N)’s room opened, hitting them straight in the face and making their body fall on the floor, black shades spinning around their head. Well, that was not in the plan.

You looked over your grades once more, pretty disappointed on some, but overall, happy with the final result. A final grade of 9.05. Not bad at all. You had to thank Pale King, Monomon, Lemm and the others for that. Without their help, you might have never graduated at all, given how hard the first semester had been and the midterm of this one.

School ended today and in two days you were going to be back home, with Kuro, away from this place where you had the most amazing, incredible and…crazy year of your life. For once, you didn’t want summer to come at all. Still, time ever only flows onward and bend to no one’s wishes. You decided to go out and buy something for dinner, to celebrate the end of this school year. You looked out the window where you could see Kuro flying over the garden, with a few of the children on his back, tiny hands up in the air in joy. You could buy him a treat or two. You were running out of treats for him anyway.

When you opened the door, you heard a loud thud behind it and saw Pale King looking at you, dumbfounded, a strange gratefulness reflecting in his eyes. Ok. What did you do this time? A soft groan answered your question, cold chills running down your spine. Slowly, you peered out and watched the dizzy cat lying on the floor, fortunately still not conscious enough to be aware of your presence.

“Oh, my! I’m so sorry!” you said and bend down to pick up the cat, cuddling them in your arms.

Sensing your warm touch, Shade regained their consciousness enough to see the Wyrm escape, thanks to you and the distraction unexpectedly provided. Their plan has been ruined; the King got away and they had a headache from meeting the door so much closer. At least, you were giving them attention so something good came out of it. As for the Pale Light, they will get another chance or else they were a moth. And they weren’t.

The dinner was carried out as usual, everyone complimenting your cooking skills, Grimm still struggling to teach his son basic table manners only for Nightmare King to come to him during the night and throw it all out the window, the children too tired from a day of playing to cause a ruckus now, Kuro sleeping on your shoulder as he had his belly full with chicken meat, Shade also sitting still after having discovered that your head was offering a better view of the salon where most of the bugs were dinning, their tail dangling in front of your face, tickling your nose and making you sneeze. You, James, Pale King, White Lady, Radiance, Herrah, Lurien, Monomon and Vespa were sitting at the table, talking happily and not letting the truth of your leave, cloud the mood. Pale King, after getting over his shock of having to be so near the black cat, especially given the events which had transpired that day, was now praising for your grades, though he thought you could have done better.

“Leave the poor girl alone. This year has been already hard on her. Don’t take this old fool for granted, dear. You did great.” Herrah said, praising you.

“O-Old fool?!” Pale King replied, affected by the Spider Queen’s words.

“Calm down, my dear. Surely Herrah meant no…” White Lady tried to intervene only to be cut off by the Beast.

“Yes. I meant it. This winter has been crazy as heck and you expect this child to have been more focused on school?! Please.”

“You go at it, Herrah!” Radiance encouraged the Spider Queen.

“Now, now, everyone. The children are behaving wonderfully tonight. Wouldn’t it be a shame if we, the adults, were to cause havoc? What sort of example would we be setting?” Vespa interfered, clapping her hands to gain everyone’s attention.

Her words sunk hard into everyone’s mind, but they had the desired effect, both the Wyrm and Spider making peace and resuming their dining in quiet, occasionally asking you about the recipe for the meal you prepared, while you were fighting to remove Shade’s tail from your face. They couldn’t care less, and the bugs had to fight not to bust out laughing. Well, someone was having fun so nothing bad there.

“Did you pack everything, dear?” Radiance asked, looking over the contents of your luggage.

For everything you had, your bag was quite small. She expected it to be way bigger. Though she assumed it would be easier to carry rather than a huge one.

“Yep. I have everything I need…even more, from what I see.” you said and removed one of your shirts to reveal a black creature, eight eyes staring at you. “Shade. We’re not doing this again.” you scolded the cat, taking them out of the bag.

They growled and motioned with a paw towards Kuro who was sitting quietly as the children were playing with his feathers. You understood their irritation, right away.

“Yes. He will come with me, but that’s because he passes as a normal bird. Not to be mean but one look at you and everyone will know you’re not a cat.” you answered, setting them on your pillow.

They tilted their head on the side, annoyed. They were clearly not satisfied with that answer, but what could they do? Altering their appearance any more was going to be hard, and they understood enough of this world to know that humans were not keen on monsters and the supernatural. Why? Ask someone else, not them. Huff. At least, they could still torment the Higher Beings, this time without any obstacles in the way. They threw the Moth a smug look, already making plans for the days about to come.

With nothing left to do, you stared at the clock and let your mind run wild. In one hour, your father would be there to pick you up and take you home, back to a boring life with your sisters and mother, nothing but work in the garden to help you pass through the hot days of summer. Despite the danger and the constant stress, you actually enjoyed being involved with supernatural creatures, the adrenaline, the rush. Like ripples in still waters, all these adventures added color to your dull life, giving you a sense of something more and like Eve who took a bite from the forbidden fruit, you couldn’t go back to the same world you knew now that you knew what hid beneath the veil of ordinarily surrounding you all. Except in your case, nobody was doomed because of your decision and hunger for more. Only you had to suffer due to your own curiosity. Huh. Weren’t there any more of James’ friends who could invite you somewhere? Even Alaska was ok. Looking for Big Foot, didn’t sound that bad either. A new adventure…that was all you wanted.

You stared at the two bracelets on your wrist, yellow and red, Mom and Grandpa. At least you had them to alleviate the loneliness.

“Tomorrow we leave for America.” your father announced you, while still on the road.

You stopped playing with Kuro, looking at your father, mouth agape. Ok…what?

“S-sorry? America?” you said. Maybe you didn’t hear him right?

“Yes. Your uncle Patrick and aunt Camelia asked us to go with them. It’s a once in a lifetime chance, so I took it.” he replied, a small grin on his face.

Ok…Ok. Ok. Ok…NOT OK! You wanted to go somewhere, true, but not like this! With Camelia?! You’d rather listen to Zote preaching than be anywhere near her!

“And you tell me only now?” you asked, trying to keep your cool.

Had you known about that, you would have begged Gertrude and Olaf to house you for the entire summer and you were sure that your father was aware of this whole thing. Wait a minute…THEN WHAT ABOUT KURO?!

“Well…” he began only for you to cut him off.

“And what about Kuro?! Is he going to come with us?!” you asked, not bothering to hide your panic and holding the owl tighter to your chest.

“Cecilia will look after him while we’re gone.” he answered as calm as ever.

“Aunt Cecilia? But she’s in Italy.”

“She’s come back for the summer. Said she had some business to take care of. She’ll be living with us and will look after Kuro while we’re away.” your father answered, yet that didn’t satisfy you.

You never meet her face to face, the woman always gone somewhere, never coming home, not even for reunions. To simply trust a beloved friend to someone you never met. That was pure madness in your eyes.

“Father. I. Never. Met. Her. Are you telling me to trust Kuro to someone I’ve never seen in my entire life?” you said, hoping you weren’t the only one who saw the absurdity of the situation.

“She’s my sister, (Y/N).” your father replied in a severe tone. “And you better show her respect. Also, I’m expecting you to make up with Camelia for what happened during winter so you better act more responsible. They are your family.”

No. They weren’t your family as far as you were concerned. Patrick was ok. He bothered to come and help out when in need. Aunt Sarah and uncle Troy were fine too, but the rest? You never even meet this people. You knew almost nothing about Cecilia, other than the fact that she prefer to be anywhere else but by her sibling’s side, traveling a lot and that she was harmed when she was a child, an accident that everyone blamed James for. The other one… too much to say, not worth sacrificing the nerves. You bit your lips as to not let poisoned words escape and ruin the small relationship you had with your father. You looked out the window, trying to conceal the hot tears ready to fall. Your father was a man who valued the notions of family way too much, to the point where he actually couldn’t see what his actions actually did. Laughable, right? That there such is a thing as too much love.

You and he didn’t exchange another word until you got home, and sensing your distress, Kuro was silent and calm, his enormous wings wrapped around you in an effort to offer comfort. Little did he know, it made the thought of separation even harder. What did you do to deserve this baby? 

Once home, you let the owl spread his wings a bit before what was most likely going to be the worst week since he met you. After letting him fly, you headed inside the house, where you found Rea in complete code red, walking around the house and looking for this and that, nearly knocking May down when she passed by her.

“Hey sis. Where’s mother?” you asked, while taking your luggage to your room, wondering if there was any point in unpacking.

“In the kitchen, taking a break. I’m going to eat now. Wanna come?” she said.

“Yeah. Just give me a sec to put my luggage away and I’m coming.” you replied, and opened the door to your room, ready to just toss the bag somewhere, and be done with it.

You followed May into the kitchen where your mother was sitting on a chair, staring out the window, a hand over her forehead, massaging it. She looked tired, defeated even. She turned her head to look at her two daughters, offering you a forced smile when her eyes fell upon you.

“How are you doing? Did your father tell you about the trip?” she asked with a tone so tired it was all too familiar to both you and your sister.

It was always the same, holiday and trips. She was always overworking herself, trying to make sure everything was ok, nobody forgot everything, they had enough money for everything, even emergencies, that everything was packed. Normal things, of course, if only she wasn’t stressing over it as much as she did. She was too scared, afraid that everything would fall to ruin in the blink of an eye. Also, her obsession with cleaning wasn’t helping either. You could bet on a trillion dollars that she cleaned the entire house three times in the last two weeks, and this was not a small place by any means. At least, now she was taking a break, which was good.

“Yeah. How are you doing?” you asked, taking a seat near her.

“Fine. May, I ordered pizza. I think it should be here in a few minutes. Sit here until then.” your mother told your sister, just as she was raiding the fridge for some food.

“Ok. Hey, (Y/N). Kuro is at the window.” May said pointing behind you.

You turned around to see the owl, patiently waiting outside on the window sill to be noticed. You opened the window and let him in, the bird crawling on your shoulder, a gentle breeze, sneaking in and caressing your foreheads, a welcome breath of fresh air after a few long hours of stress.

“I heard aunt Cecilia is going to look after him.” you said, almost whispering.

“Yes. If your father had told me about the trip earlier, I would have called you to leave him home, but I only found out about it yesterday night and today I was too stressed and forgot to call you.”

“Wait. Yesterday night?!” you looked at your mother confused.

She had to be kidding.

“Yes. He forgot apparently.” she answered, making quotation marks with her fingers in the air when she pronounced the word “forgot”.

She was not kidding.

“Good think, Cecilia decided to come over and agreed to look after Kuro. If she hadn’t, your father would have had to drive him back to James’ place.” your mother continued, scratching the bird’s chin. “I have some chicken breast in the fridge. I was planning to do some schnitzels today but I’m too tired now. Might as well give them to him. May, could you give them to me please?”

“Ok.” May said and got up to search for the treats.

“Where is aunt Cecilia, anyway?” you said, wanting to meet the woman who will be the guardian of your baby for an entire week.

“She wanted to take a walk through the village. To get familiar with the place. You’ll see her tonight.” your mother answered, taking the plate with meat her daughter gave her.

She smiled, seeing the owl’s happy expression at the sight of the food. Kuro got of your shoulder and sat in your mother’s lap, gratefully accepting the offered chicken and gulping it down in one go. You were so going to miss him.

“What did you think of her so far? I mean aunt Cecilia.” you asked, unable to let go of your concerns.

“She’s…nice, I guess. She seems a bit too shy, but overall, is a calm woman. I’m sure she will take good care of Kuro and the other animals. Or else, your father can sleep in the neighbors’ pig den.” your mother said, speaking the last sentence through clenched teeth.

You could only hope she was right, looking at the bird’s happy expression as he rubbed his face on your mother’s chin to express his gratitude for her kindness. You let out a silent prayer, begging with all your heart that your aunt will prove to be a good guardian and that the next week will pass by quickly. You wanted to go on an adventure, but this…this was not what you had in mind. Not at all.


	45. Departing Once More

You sat down on the hard couch, legs tired after pacing the living room for so many times, the owl sleeping in your arms and concerns clouding your mind. It was already 8 o'clock and Cecilia had yet to show herself, the waiting feeling like torture. Maybe it was better to phone your uncle and beg him to come and take Kuro home. Your stomach growled demanding nutrition, but you quickly shut it up. The pizza you had earlier tasted like paper and you had to force yourself to swallow the few bites you managed to eat before you set the piece down and excused yourself from the table, invoking the never old excuse of a breakfast far too rich to allow lunch to get in. Now you were reaping the fruits of that decision. Kuro shuffled in arms and only then did you realize how hard you were trembling. Strange. You weren't cold. Were you getting sick? While it would have provided a perfect excuse to stay home, but you didn't want to hear your parents arguing over it. You were convinced they argued yesterday enough for a lifetime. 

Suddenly, the entrance door opened and in got a short woman with long, brown hair, curled at the edges, skin tanned from years of working in the field, small and dense freckles covering her entire face. She resembled your father in a way, especially the eyes, but while your father’s eyes had confidence radiating in them, hers were soft and shyness shone through. She was wearing a simple brown trench over a soft, wool shirt and a pair of blue jeans. She was startled seeing you there, on the couch and immediately, let her head down, as to avoid your gaze. Strange 

You set Kuro on the cushions nearby and went to greet her, trying to be somewhat polite to this woman.

"H-hello. You must be aunt Cecilia. Nice to meet you. I'm (Y/N)." You introduced yourself, offering your hand to the woman for a handshake.

"H-Hello." She replied shyly, lifting her head a little to look at you, but she did not shake your hand.

You let your hand fall limp by your body and struggled to find the words to say. This was more awkward than you thought it would be. 

"Um..." you were about to say something although not knowing exactly what, but the silence was too uncomfortable to just allow it to be there any longer.

Just then, the door to the kitchen opened and your mother stepped out, curious to see who came in. 

"Oh, Cecilia! You're back. Are you hungry? Would you like some tea?" Your mother asked.

"Yes. Some tea sounds lively. Um...(Y/N)?" Your aunt said, seeming to have gained some confidence with your mother present. 

You looked at her expecting her to continue.

"Um... c-could we talk about Kuro, I believe that's his name, while having tea?" She asked gesturing to the couch where the owl was resting.

"Sure." You answered, surprised she knew his name. "I'll go bring the tea and then we can talk. Don't be afraid of him. He's extremely docile." you continued and went into the kitchen to prepare the drinks.

When you came out, you saw your aunt standing on the armchair near the sofa, looking at Kuro who was still asleep. Her gaze expressed no fear, only a deep interest and fascination with the odd bird. It had something almost childish to it. Maybe this was a sign that things will be ok.

You went there, carrying a tray with two cups of tea, and a plate with chocolate biscuits on it. You set it on the small table in the middle of the room, where both of you could feast on the small sweets. You took a sit on the couch, next to the bird, who lazily opened his eyes. At your sight, he, mostly sleepwalking, scurried over to you, struggling to get in your lap. You smiled and helped him up, holding back a giggle as his feathers brushed over your bare arm, tickling you.

“He’s really cute.” aunt Cecilia said.

“Yes. He’s just a big fluffy baby.” you smiled again, even wider, rubbing the little one’s chin. “You won’t have huge troubles looking after him. He can take care of himself just fine. You just need to feed him a few times a day, and keep a window open all the time.”

“Is he more active during the night or day?”

“So and so. It depends. When I’m at James’ place, he’s more active during the day and sleeps a lot during the night.” you said and suddenly you sensed the atmosphere in the room tense for some reason.

You looked at your aunt and noticed her trying to avoid your gaze, fingers nervously fiddling with her now empty cup of tea. Something from what you said obviously bothered her.

“Um…is…is everything ok?” you asked, your turn to be shy this time.

“W-What? …no…it’s…it’s nothing.” she replied stuttering.

“A-Are you sure?” you asked again, not convinced.

“Y-Yeah. Just…just remembering something that’s all.” she answered, before biting her lower lip. “Oh my! Would you look at the time! It’s so late. Forgive me dear, but I need to go to bed and maybe so should you. You need to wake up very early tomorrow morning for the ride to the airport.” Cecilia said and placed her cup of tea on the table, before wishing you a quick “good night” and hurried to the guest room, far at the end of the main corridor.

You watched her leave, wondering what that was all about. Again, you were left in the dark by everyone like a young child that had to be protected from the harsh truth of the world. And it was starting to piss you off. However, this was your last night with Kuro for an entire week. You didn’t want to waste it.

You went out with Kuro on a nocturnal walk, enjoying the cold breeze after a hot summer day. The sun was descending slowly, and you were grateful to be able to watch the owl fly through the blue skies, slowly getting stained with yellow and pink as the day turned to night. You recalled Hornet and the children exploring the fields while winter was still there, dressing everything in white. How much they would have loved to be there now, when the grass was shining green and the leaves of the trees were making a soft sound as the wind was playing through them, wild flowers now slowly closing their blossom, only to open it again in the morning, an explosion of colors in a sea of emeralds. Now, you wished they would have snuck in your bag and came with you. But then, you couldn’t take them with you in America. Or maybe they could? You smirked. No use in thinking about that now. They weren’t there.

You found a neat spot on a field and laid there, Kuro landing next to you and watching the view of the village, grey clouds of smoke rising from the furnaces and listening to the children’s laughter carried by the wind through the meadows and the forests, along with the barks of the dogs, the songs of the chickens and roosters, sheep and cows announcing their return from an entire day of grazing under the supervision of the young lads with nothing better to do now that the break released them from the torture of school. You lifted your arm, fingers trying to reach the skies, a useless wish, you knew that, your eyes falling upon the two bracelets, the scarlet and yellow dreamcatchers, a beautiful and reminder that they will always be with you, Dream and Nightmare.

It was still dark when your mother came to wake you and May up, Kuro looking at her disoriented, taken by surprise at the sudden bust of light into the room, flooding the room, through the opened door, while outside, the moon was still high in the sky. There was no sight of the Moth nor the Wyrm and it took him a second to recall yesterday events and realize where he was, amazed at the lack of children and the dreaded sense of danger whenever that blasted cat decided to mess with him. He let out a loud “boo” and began to spread his wings, a bit numb from sleep, while you rolled, left hand hanging off the bed and into the ether, as you stretched your limbs and rubbed the remains of sleep out of your eyes, while May groaned. It was too early for her to wake up and a golden tint still persisted at the end of your vision. Radiance overdid herself that night, that was for sure. However, neither of you wanted to upset your mother and thus, you both got down and began to prepare for the trip, letting annoyed comments slip through your lips, not caring who heard you.

You chose to wear a black T shirt with a round collar, white patterns sewn in by the weavers according to Grimm’s instructions, representing floral and linear patterns that mixed in a beautiful model at the edges, a pair of black pants, a belt with three golden chains hanging on the side and a white cardigan on top with glowing, yellow threat line patterns at the end of the sleeves and a black shawl just in case. 

When you were done, you dragged your luggage to the front door, Kuro already perched on your shoulder and ready to go. Your heart was slowly breaking apart as the moment to hand him over to Cecilia drew nearer, silently praying that he won’t make a big fuss about it.

Your aunt was waiting at the door, a plain smile on her face as she reached out her arms to take Kuro, your eyes on the floor. You could feel the owl searching for your gaze as they stiffened the moment Cecilia’s hand touched his feathers and felt a gentle grab around his wings, but you did not have the courage to face him. Pain ensued as he dug two of his claws deeper into your shoulder, as he did not want to go, hot blood peering through the cuts and staining his claws. You tried not to whimper as you began to pat his tummy and apologize, tears streaming down your face.

“It’s ok, little guy. I’ll be back in a week. You won’t even notice.” you tried to negotiate with the owl, feeling the claws digging deeper into the flesh.

“What’s the hold up?” your father came to ask, bothered by the delay.

“Kuro doesn’t want to get off.” you answered, hoping your father won’t cause a ruckus and make the situation worse.

“Come on, little baby. We will have fun together. Trust me.” Cecilia tried to encourage the owl, noticing the growing stains of blood on your cardigan.

After a few more seconds of begging and pleading, Kuro hesitantly allowed your aunt to take him off your shoulder, a quite palpable crimson stain shining where his claws had torn the fabric and penetrated your flesh. You hurried into the car, trying not to let your mother see it, covering it with the shawl, grateful that you decided to take it. Everyone waved Cecilia and the bird goodbye as you departed, heading to a vacation that nobody, except your father, was not having great expectations from.

Vlad was sitting next to you, throwing fugitive glances at the crimson stain peeking underneath your shawl and the bracelets on your wrist, especially the red one, the symbols of the Grimm Troupe shining under the artificial light in the small dinner your and his parents decided to meet for a light breakfast. You gave him a faint smile and focused on eating the burger you ordered, while ignoring the remarks your aunt gave about your clothes and your choice of breakfast, your fist itching to meet her front teeth and take them on a date. This was one of your favorite T shirts, not only because it was beautiful, but because Grimm and the others took their time to work on it. Hearing their craft getting insulted by this ugly hag made your boil blood.

You kept on eating, trying to think of anything else but her, at Kuro spreading his wings over the sky, Pure chasing their siblings around the house, whenever they would misbehave, Shade trying to catch the Moth and Wyrm within their paws, to Hornet swinging on her thread and Grimm teaching his son how to talk, while Brumm was playing his accordion in the background, and Divine was recording it all in her journals, Pale King and White Lady spending time with their little ones. What you wouldn’t give to see them now. Well, hopefully Grandpa will bring some along when you visited him during the following car ride. You threw a sneaky peek at your cousin, wondering if he would be there too. The more the merrier they say.

“I take it you don’t like traveling too much, my dear.” Nightmare King said, sipping his tea, Vlad sitting in his lap and watching some Grimmkin perform.

You weren’t jealous. No. Not at all.

“But traveling is so much fun. Exploring new lands, meeting new people, experiencing other cultures! My darling, you have no idea how much you lose by not taking the change to leave when it presents itself.” Grimm added, taking a napkin and wiping the left-over cream from his son’s mouth.

Grimmchild had no intention of making their father’s task any easier, turning their head around and burying it in your chest, smearing the dress with the pale colored delight, his tiny hands wrapped around your neck. The Troupe Master let out a sigh and apologized for the trouble, but you smiled and reassured him that everything was fine.

“Anyway, I don’t hate traveling per se. I just…can’t stand the stress that comes with it, you know. It’s just too much for me.” you tried to argue your dislike of traveling, diverting the conversation from the warm child in your arms.

“I must admit that it is quite unpleasant, but trust me, it’s worth it.” Grimm continued, trying to change your mind.

“It didn’t bother me at all when James took me to Sweden, but…now with my family…I feel like it’s more…”

You looked at Vlad, trying to formulate your ideas without insulting his mother, since he loved her so, and even now when Grandpa was taking care of him during the night, doing his best to teach him how to behave properly, the boy still had a hard time accepting that Camelia was wrong some- most of the time, though he could accept that she was mean, especially to you. Grimm stopped you, nodding his head in understatement.

You two were about to continue your conversation when you felt a tug on your shoulder, and you knew it was coming from the waking world.

“Looks like it’s time to go.” you said and let the little one get back on their father’s lap, before saying goodbye to everyone together with Vlad.

“We’ll see each other again soon, darlings.”

“Have a good flight.”

You were sitting in the airport, counting the dales on the floor, waiting for the plane which had been delayed for at least an hour. May was by your side, playing some game on her phone, Rea walking up and down the aisle, messaging her friends, your father and mother arguing in a corner, Camelia and Patrick were sitting on the seats opposite of you and your sister, the woman on her phone, the man reading a book he packed about the history of economics. Vlad was besides his mother, playing on a PS4. Everyone had something to do except for you. As boredom became more and more unbearable, you lifted the ends of your shawl a little, to see just how big the blood stain was. Ugh! It didn’t look good at all. Two red holes stood where Kuro’s talons had dug into your clothes, both cardigan and T shirt destroyed. The bleeding stopped long ago, after you covered the wounds with white napkins while in the car. Needless to say, it was a pain to put them on without your parents or sisters noticing, the scandal that would have ensued had they known what the owl did to you, and to peel them off later when the blood dried off. A few bits were still stuck in there, but you couldn’t take them off with bare hands. You needed a shower, and fast. You placed the shawl’s ends in their place, ignoring the stinging injuries, and sighed. You leaned back into your seat, looking at the ceiling of the airport and then at the huge watch on the wall in front of you. Not even 15 minutes have passed. Great. And it was getting hotter by the minute too. Maybe you could sleep and go see your-

“Go buy me some water.”

You lazily moved your head to see Camelia shooting you deathly glares.

“You could say please.” you replied, too tired and bored to care about consequences.

“Don’t get smart with me, kid. Go and buy me some water!” the woman screamed, strange faces turning around in curiosity, or from the lack of something better to do.

Tired, Patrick rose his eyes from the book he was reading, looking at you annoyed.

“(Y/N). I know that you may think you’re cool and all that now that you are a teenager, but I think you’re forgetting that at the end of the day, we are the adults and you are still a child.” he said sternly.

Feeling a headache coming on, you were in no mood to argue with anyone. You got up from your seat, your feet wobbly and everything slowly beginning to spin around you. The vending machine was not far away, but each step felt far too slow and the distance didn’t seem to shorten at all. Suddenly, you lost your balance and was about to fall when you felt two hands wrap around you, stopping your fall.

“YO! Scarlet Light! What happened to you?”

You looked up at the man who was talking, the world still spinning around you. You were glad to see that it was Albert, your uncle’s friend whom you met before leaving to Sweden with Cody, wearing the airport’s security uniform. He helped you steady your feet, his hands still holding you, in case you were about to fall again.

“G-Good day, sir.” you began at which he scoffed.

“Sir? Just “Hey, Albert.” is fine. Being polite makes me feel like some snob, and I’m not. But that aside, what happened to you? I smell blood and quite a lot of it.” he said, eyes staring at your shoulder where the wounds were.

“I…I had a little incident with a pet, that’s all.” you said, moving the shawl just a bit to let him see.

“Those don’t look good. Why didn’t you treat them correctly?” he scolded you.

“It’s a long story. But please, don’t make a big deal about this. I don’t want my parents to know about what happened.” you said, looking at the floor.

Albert sighed and scratched the top of his head. 

“I always knew James’ family was complicated, but this is a whole other level. Anyway, come with me. We must treat those wounds before they get infected.” he said and led you somewhere at the end of the airport, in the room specifically for guards.

The room was rather small and plain, with white walls and ceiling, a metal table next to the wall and another door, a few chairs spread across, each one facing the 6 small TVs on the walls across, a section of the airport displayed on each one. Inside, there were other two officers, a woman and a man chatting at a cup of coffee, their eyes glued to the white and black screens. They looked at you the moment you stepped in, invited by Albert.

“Hello, sweetie. What can we-” the woman began but stopped, sniffing the air for a few seconds before she spoke again, “Oh, my! What happened to you?”

She got up from her seat and came to you, staring strongly at your shoulder which you covered after showing Albert the wounds.

“I…I had…I had an accident with a pet. Nothing serious.” you said, a bit taken aback by how close she was to you. “Um…my name is (Y/N) (L/N). Nice to meet you.”

“Oh! You are James’ niece! Scarlet Light! Nice to meet you! I’m Ava, Albert’s older sister and that over there is Terry, our youngest brother.” she said, pointing to the man still sitting down.

“Hey.” he greeted you, not removing his gaze from the screen.

“H-Hello. Nice to meet you.” you replied.

“Anyway, come sit down. Judging by the scent, that wound needs to be treated.” Ava said and motioned you to a chair to sit.

“Thank you. Um…why do you call me Scarlet Light?” you asked, confused about the nickname.

“Oh, that? Because of your adoptive parents. Since they are the two Lights and the Scarlet Nightmare. A small play of words.” the woman replied, smiling.

She looked at the door near the table where Albert disappeared, and rummaging noises could be heard.

“Hurry up, Albert! What’s taking you so long?! The first aid kit is on the top shelf!” she yelled, annoyed at her brother’s delay.

“Coming!” the man said and appeared, carrying a small, white box in his hands with a red cross on the cover.

He set it on the table and opened it, revealing bandages, pieces of cotton, scissors, plastic clips and different packages with ointments inside. You removed your shawl and cardigan, revealing the destroyed T shirt, the color having a crimson tint where the blood sipped through the fabric. You pulled on its collar so that Ava could get a better look at the marks left by Kuro’s wounds. She got to cleaning them, making small talk in the meantime to ease your tension, while Albert and Terry were looking at the screens.

“So, where are you going? James must not be with you or else he would have come here as well.”

“I’m going to America with my family.”

“Really? Where exactly?”

“I…I don’t really know. My father said something about Oregon.”

“Yeah?! Then you can go visit Gravity Falls! Amazing town and for supernatural enthusiasts is just perfect.” Ava said enthusiastically.

“We have a friend there. His name is Stanford Pines and he own a place called the Mystery Shack. You should pay him a visit. He may come on as odd at first but he’s a great guy. His twin brother too.” Albert added as well.

“I’ll see what I can do about that since I don’t know what the itinerary is up to now.” you said, ignoring the sting as Ava pressed a cotton disk soaked in sanitary alcohol on the harmed tissue.

“So…what exactly did this? I hate being that kind of bitch but this pet of yours did quite the job here and if this is a repeated occurrence you might need to put him down.” the woman asked.

“He’s not dangerous.” you replied a bit offended at her comment. “Kuro, my owl, …we couldn’t take him with us and had to leave him in an aunt’s care this morning and he didn’t seem very pleased with that.”

“Separation anxiety? That would explain it.” Ava said.

She inspected her work so far before taking a piece of cloth from the kit and sticking it to the now cleaned wounds.

“Yeah. He lost his previous home and…”

“Ugh! That clearly explains it. Pets with abandonment issues take a while to recover from the shock and be ok with their owners leaving again…Ok. I’m done here. How are you feeling?” Ava asked as she got up and began to pack the rest of the first aid kit back into the box.

“I’m ok. Just a bit dizzy, that’s all.” you replied, putting your clothes back on.

“In that case, you better rest. When is your flight scheduled for?”

“It had an hour delay.”

“Ok. I’ll talk to a friend and convince him to let you and your family board early.”

“Oh, no! Please don’t bother!” you said, thinking of how you were going to explain to your parents why you guys were receiving that treatment since the tickets your father brought did not allow for early boarding. 

“No worries there, dear. It’s our duty after all to make sure that those boarding are ok. Plus, like this James will own me a beer as well. There’s this one I had my eyes on for a while but it’s a bit too pricey for me.”

Hearing Ava’s motivation which was clearly a joke made you chuckle. You looked at the screens, searching for your parents. You’ve been there for quite a while. They must have been worried. You found them sitting in the place you and your sister were, before Camelia send you to get her some water, the woman seeming to complain about something. Possibly the fact that you were taking so long, go figure.

“I think I better go. I have to return to my family.” you said and got up.

“Ok, Scarlet Light. I’ll come find you when it’s time to board, so just wait for me.” Ava said.

“I’ll come with you. Just to make sure you don’t faint again.” Albert said and came next to you, ready to go.

“Thank you, Albert. Goodbye, Ava, Terry. It was nice meeting you.”

“Same here, lad. Take care.”

“Take care.”

The flight went on without any major incidents, save for your mother’s overstressing herself due to seeing you return with a security guard and the fact that you guys were allowed early boarding. It took the captain a few minutes to assure you that everything was ok, that nothing was wrong, and this was an exception granted due to you not feeling well. Needless to say, the barrage of questions that followed did not help you relax at all, having to spend most of the flight explaining to your mother that you really weren’t ok and, in the end, had to show her the patched wound and tell her the truth about Kuro’s separation problems. She seemed understandable at first, compassionate even to the owl’s situation, but then nearly yelled at you for not showing it to her sooner. You let her fury flow, ignoring it all and looking out the window, admiring the sea of clouds and the waiting for the landing, a curiosity brimming inside you.

However, trouble did not hesitate to appear as soon as you were on American ground, after safely making it through the countless check ups and it was time to go to the hotel.

“So? Patrick, where is the hotel you registered us?” your father asked, setting down the luggage and looking after a taxi.

It was pretty late and all of you could use some sleep.

“Excuse me? I thought you were going to look for the hotel. We didn’t look for anything.” Camelia said.

“W-Wait? What?” your mother asked, color draining from her face.

Your insides grew cold as well, at the possibility that slowly crept into your mind. You guys had nowhere to sleep that night.


	46. New friends

“What do you mean you didn’t look for a hotel?!” your mother shouted; her veins obvious through her skin.

“Calm down, Norah.” Patrick responded, as if nothing happened. “We didn’t look for a hotel, because we thought you would do it.”

“We?!” Norah was about to lose it and hard.

“Norah, keep it down.” you father tried to calm your mother, but he was obviously pretty mad himself.

“Yes. You. Why are you so surprised?” Camelia asked in the same nonchalant tone.

“Because we paid for the darn tickets!” your mother shouted, not carrying about the eyes staring at her from the startled, curious and bored people.

She turned to your father, rage clear in her eyes.

“Was that the deal? Did you lie to me again? We came here to be their piggy bank?! Is that it?!” she screamed, her face growing more and more red.

You stopped paying them attention, fiddling with the bracelets on your arm, while sitting on the sidewalk together with your cousin and sisters, praying for all of this to end already. It was late and you felt Mom call you to join her in the Dream, but with the current situation going on, you couldn’t take the chance, no matter how much you longed for her company. You looked at your parents arguing while your uncle and aunt were simply staring at them, Camelia making snarky remarks about your mother being selfish and what not. Oh! If only Grandpa was there to put the fear of God into her again. No. Better not bother him with such idiots. He had better things to do.

“Are we going to sleep on the street tonight?” Vlad asked, his voice faint like a whisper.

“I don’t know.” you answered, getting up and stretching your arms.

You needed to move least you wanted to fall prey to the sweetness of sleep. You began to walk around, trying to get far enough to not hear the arguments anymore yet still be visible. No need to worry anyone again. The dark parking lot had an eerie feeling dominating over it as fewer and fewer cars remained around. You looked around; eyes attracted by the bright city lights. Though the beginning was less than desirable, maybe America wouldn’t be so bad.

In the end, after two hours of arguing and screaming, your parents decided to drop the matter, at least for that night, and took you all to look for a hotel where you could sleep in peace. They had to pay, of course, as it turned out Patrick had brought only enough money to afford his wife and child to have fun. Your mother was about to start it all over again, but Rea managed to calm her down in time. However, your father had to sleep in a room by himself, as Norah refused to share one with him, still feeling angry and betrayed. You and your sisters sighed, knowing that it was going to be along night. You hoped Radiance wouldn’t mind offering her a more peaceful sleep.

The next morning, breakfast was carried in a solemn manner, your mother still mad at your father’s lie, albeit more relaxed thanks to the Light’s spell, making her have dreams that helped her forget her stress at least for a while. You were still struggling to wipe a smile off your face, still gleeful after listening to Pale Kind’s nervous talk about your uncle and aunt’s behavior. For once, he forgot all about being polite and set on a tirade about how rude and egoistical those two were, completely baffled at their audacity and complete lack of manners, with Radiance and you nodding and agreeing despite him, not even taking the time to look at you, too busy pacing around the golden room with clouds for walls and glowing diamonds floating through the air. Oh! Your mother should have seen him. But inviting her into your dream wasn’t possible without questions being raised and the truth exposes. Nobody could allow that.

“So, what’s going to happen now?” May asked, looking at the table where Patrick, Camelia and Vlad were eating, a few rows away from yours.

The Moth and Wyrm, while sympathetic to the boy, were not as attached to him as Nightmare King was, and thus they did not invite him into the dream. Even Grandpa could get him only when they were in the same town, unable to offer him the same bracelet as yours since it was bound to catch Camelia’s eye and then she would definitely freak out, taking it as witchcraft and blaming you. Thus, unless you were in the Nightmare as well, he couldn’t join him at all. You couldn’t deny feeling a guilty pleasure knowing this.

“We were planning to visit some places, but now with the unexpected events…” your father said at which your mother scoffed. “What is it?” he asked her, his tone carrying the silent warning for disaster.

“Unexpected my ass.” your mother said, ignoring you and your sisters’ pleading glare not to start again.

And it began, quiet and sharp, the replies were thrown from one another, curious stares watching from the other tables. You couldn’t take it anymore, feeling all the food try to come back, bile filling your guts. You needed out, and fast.

You excused yourself to go outside, nearly running to the exit. Once away from there, with the cold morning air hitting you in the face, you nearly fell on your knees, taking in deep breaths, trying to cool your mind and not to spill your insides on the ground. Everything was spinning around and your vision was getting blurry.

“Hey! You ok?!”

You heard someone call out to you, and a pair of hands wrap around your arms, trying to pull you down to sit. You didn’t oppose and took a seat on the cold pavement, the world still spiraling.

“Hey. What happened? Do you need to go to the hospital?” the voice kept on asking, but your voice became too dried to answer.

You looked at the ones speaking and shook your head, trying to force your voice out. It was a young boy, around 17 years old, with brown and messy hair, hidden under a blue and white hat with a blue pine tree in the center, a blue jacket over a red shirt, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. His sleeves were pulled up to his elbows revealing a few tattoos, one in particular catching your attention. It was of a zodiac with a one-eyed triangle in the middle surrounded by a circle with different symbols.

“Oh! By the way, my name is Dipper Pines. Nice to meet you.” he said, his voice pulling you out of your reverie, and extending a hand to you.

“I’m (Y/N) (L/N). Nice to meet you too.” you answered, shaking his hand.

“You ok? You look rather pale. Sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the concern anyway and sorry for bothering you.” you apologized, giving him a slight smile.

“No problem. So…you a tourist or something?” he asked.

“Oh? Yeah. Just arrived yesterday night. I’m from Transylvania.” you answered, surprised at how easy it was to talk to him.

“Really? The land of the vampires. Does that mean you are a vampire as well?” he asked, an amusing smile on his face.

“Nah. Unfortunately, not. But my grandfather is the Nightmare King, so you better watch out.” you laughed, feeling a slight tingle from your bracelets.

Dipper laughed along, and then replied, in a fake arrogant tone.

“Well, 4 summers ago I defeated a Dream Demon with my sister, so bring it on.”

“Really? Only a Dream Demon? Dude, I have faced an ancient Norse deity and a Forest Spirit last winter. You need to step up your game.”

“Oh, yeah?! Had to fight a multibear once and face a Vengeful Spirit, only to name a few.” he showed off.

“Holy freak! That’s amazing! Hats off to you, dude!” you said and playfully took off his hat and put it on your head, only to take it back off.

You both laughed, small tears forming in the corners of your eyes. Your nausea was gone, and you were genuinely having a good time, completely forgetting of the hell in the dinning room of the hotel. You talked with him more, not hiding the supernatural aspects of your life, the little children, Pale King, Herrah, Radiance, Grimm and his troupe, Moder, the Birch, nothing. Speaking with him just felt so freely.

Dipper was surprised at (Y/N)’s stories, at how easy she spoke of them, as if they were truly real and not just creations of her imagination. Maybe it was also the way she was speaking, but he could feel the life in each one of them. He could listen to her for days to no end.

“Hey, where are you going to be these days?” he asked, when she took a break.

Suddenly, her expression became sour, and her smile faded. Dipper gulped, feeling guilty for saddening her.

“I…I don’t really know…There…there have been some incidents last night and…well, I don’t know what will happen. We might actually go back home today…” she said, avoiding his gaze and staring in the distance.

“Um…sorry to hear that.” Dipper said, scratching the back of his head.

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” she said again, offering him a faint smile.

All of the easy-going atmosphere from before disappearing and now they were both looking at the cloudless sky, not able to say another word. Just when he found a cool friend, he was about to lose her, because of fate’s stupid sense of humor. Still, he decided to try again.

“Um… if you don’t mind…” he said, gathering his words, “I’m going to Gravity Falls today. It’s not far from here, just an hour by bus and I’d…” Freak! this was hard! “I’d like you to come with me. I can show you a crashed alien ship if you’d like and introduced you to that Dream Demon I spoke about.”

“Really?” (Y/N)’s face lit up, the smile returning to her face, but suddenly, a frown settled in on her visage, bringing alone a confused expression. “Wait? Gravity Falls? And you said your last name was Pines, right?”

“Y-Yeah.” Dipper answered, confused as well.

“Do you happen to be related with Stanford Pines, by any chance?” she asked again.

“Yeah. He’s my Grunkle. Do you know him?”

“My friends told me to go see him if I make it there.”

Her expression lit up again and Dipper couldn’t help but smile as well.

“That’s great! Then you must come, no questions asked! The bus will leave in two hours from the parking lot. I’ll wait for you there.” Dipper said, joy filling his voice.

He got up and was ready to leave, but (Y/N) stopped him.

“Wait! I also have my family with me!” she said, getting up as well, concern written all over her face.

“Don’t worry. There are plenty of places for them to visit as well. Not as crazy as ours though. I’ll take you on the adventure of a lifetime!” he said, winking at her.

(Y/N) couldn’t help but laugh hearing that, and the sound of her voice, made the boy lightly blush. She was… just…something amazing.

“Fine. I’ll see you there.” she replied and went inside, leaving Dipper alone.

He exhaled deeply, trying to cool the wild beating of his heart. (Y/N) was an interesting girl, like he had never seen before, having a genuine love for the supernatural. So far, he could only speak of it with Mabel and those back at Gravity Falls, nobody back home believing him and only giving him odd looks, calling him insane. Speaking of Mabel. Dipper sighed and approached the corner of the building not far from where he and (Y/N) had been talking.

“You heard everything, didn’t you?” he said, sighing. 

“Yep.” his sister responded, popping up from her hiding place, a wide smile on her face, a mischievous look in her eyes. “I ship it so hard!” she yelled and ran before her brother could get her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gravity Falls is a show created by Alex Hirsch. All credit for it goes to him.


	47. Gravity Falls

You were on the bus, sitting with Dipper and his twin sister, Mabel, who giggled every time you and him would exchange a word, and admired both of your bracelets, asking you repeatedly where you got them. Your parents said they didn’t want to come, but told you to return by the night, which you promised to do. Dipper came to assure them that he will be looking after you, your mother not very pleased with his tattoos but accepted it, nonetheless. They stayed behind to sort the mess your aunt dragged them into, as she and her family went out shopping, taking your sisters along, just to prove that she was a “nice” person. You threw up in your mouth a little hearing it but said nothing otherwise.

You wanted to enjoy what could be your last day there and see this Dream Demon, Dipper had been talking about. The trip was fun and short, you listening to Dipper tell you about that time he raised the dead, amazed at Grunkle Stan’s courage and badassery. Mabel rolled her eyes and giggled, seeing your enthusiasm for her brother’s stories, giggling and giving you mischievous stares which you didn’t understand.

When you arrived in Gravity Falls, you took in the fresh air filled with the scent of trees and nature, so pure and sweet you wanted more than your lungs could take in. Dipper chuckled at your innocent pleasure and you punched him jokingly in the arm, laughing as well. You followed the twins to the Mystery Shack, helping Mabel carry her luggage and talking with them on the way.

“So, you guys will stay here all summer?” you asked, looking at the sea of colors.

“Yep. You should stay as well! It’s so much fun! Huh!? Grunkle Stan!!” Mabel yelled, throwing her luggage on the ground and ran into the arms of an old man with a white beard and hair, smiling from ear to ear as he hugged his grandniece, wearing a black suit with a white shirt and bowtie, his head mostly covered by a maroon fez.

“Ahh! Buttercup! It feels so good to have you guys back here! Dipper…” he began, looking at his grandnephew only to stop when he noticed you who was shyly waving from besides him.

Stan looked at you and then back at Dipper, a few times before busting out laughing and winking at his grandnephew.

“I see someone has gotten himself a girlfriend! Good for you.” he said and busted out laughing.

Both you and Dipper blushed and waved your hands quickly as to dismiss his words and make them disappear into the void of time.

“No! No! I’m sorry! This is a misunderstanding!” you replied quickly, your face still red.

“That’s right, Grunkle Stan! She’s not my girlfriend!” Dipper said as well, hiding his face.

“But he has a crush on her.” Mabel whispered loud enough for both of you to hear it.

Her brother lost it, denying it vehemently. His Grunkle laughed and waved it off.

“Ok. Have it your way. So, miss. Welcome to Gravity Falls and to the Mystery Shack! May I interest you in a tour?”

You were about to say yes, when a loud thud came from inside the shack, making all of you looking that way, Stan sighing and looking at the sky, his shoulders lowered. He looked at you, a tad disappointed at having lost a potential customer. 

“Sorry, kid. Looks like I have some business to take care of.” he said and headed into the shack, where more noise could be heard from. “Ford! What on earth are you doing?!”

You looked at the twins, Dipper grateful that the subject of your relationship was dropped, while Mabel was still grinning from ear to ear, staring at the two of you. She was not going to let you get away easy, that was for sure.

“So…” you began looking around, mostly to avoid the girl’s intense gaze, “what’s there to do around here? You promised me an adventure Dipper.” you said, smiling.

“Huh? Oh, sure. Let’s go to that crashed alien space ship first. Just wait here until I go get what we need.” he said, going inside the shack, leaving you alone with Mable.

The girl approached you, grinning and having an air of trouble around her.

“So, bestie, I heard you are the granddaughter of the NIGHTMARE KING!” she said, yelling Grandpa’s name.

Did Dipper tell her that?

“Yep. Adopted by his son, but that doesn’t really matter. What counts is that we’re family.” you replied, feeling a smile creep on your face.

Strangely, Mabel’s expression toned down a bit, looking almost somber, not fitting her visage at all.

“H-How is he? I mean, I know Dipper told you about the Dream Demon we fought 4 years ago. I-I was wondering…” she said, and it was obvious that she tried to phrase it as to not offend you.

“Grandpa is a sweetheart.” you said, trying to understand where she was coming from.

You were in her shoes, multiple times too, blinded by prejudice and bad past experiences.

“Really?” she asked, the gleeful expression from before coming back to her.

“Yep. I should introduce you some ti…” you began but then remembered that that might be your last day in America as far as you knew.

Your parents didn’t say anything about it, but you knew that your mother was already dead set on going back home. Not that you would mind. It meant that you could see Kuro much faster, but still…you took a liking to these twins, their easy-going personalities and their interest in the supernatural and odd. How quickly you began to think of them as friends.

Mabel looked at you, worried again by your sudden silence.

“(Y/N) is everything ok?” she asked.

“Oh, sorry. Just… thinking about how today might be my last day here, unfortunately.” you said, surprised at how easily you told her the truth.

Mabel smiled at you, and this was not a grin filled with mischief. You could read the compassion, crystal clear. She hugged you, her warmth more than welcome.

“Thanks.” you said, burying your face in her sweater.

“No need to. That’s what besties are for, right?” she giggled.

“Yeah.”

She let go of you, just as Dipper came out the door, carrying a strange looking gun.

“(Y/N), ready to go?” he said tossing it to you.

“You bet I do. See you later Mabel.” you said, putting the gun in your backpack and running to catch up with her brother who was already heading to the forest.

“KYAAA!!” you yelled as you climbed down the metal column and down into the darkness of the alien ship using the magnetic gun.

Truth be told, when you saw him coming out with it, you thought he would have you fight aliens, but this…this was a thousand times more fun.

Once your feet touched the ground, you nearly fell down and busted out laughing, adrenaline still rushing through your vines. Dipper was by your side, smiling from ear to ear as he helped you get up.

“That was so fun.” you said, your head spinning around a little.

“I know, right?” he said, giggling.

After calming down, you began to explore, your eyes darting through the ship, the boy telling you about the language he managed to decipher together with his uncle, the dead security system and you even found the remains of the aliens that once piloted the ship, now only bones left behind. You explored for a while, your fingers passing over the cold extraterrestrial metal, shining eerily under the pale light of the flashlight.

“This is really cool. Never thought I’ll ever see aliens.” you said, looking around.

“Yeah. Me neither. And when you think of all the stories around the world, of all the supernatural beings. It really makes you wonder, right?” Dipper said, approaching you.

“Yeah. It’s a beautiful world.” you smiled, turning to face him, the light of his lantern falling upon you, leaving him in the dark.

He said nothing, the darkness hiding his blush, averting his eyes from you and looking at something else to focus his gaze on, heart beating wildly.

You both lingered in the spaceship for another half and hour until your stomachs demanded nutrition, then you left taking a long stroll through the forest, to prolong the day’s euphoria. The silence was comforting, nobody feeling the need to speak. Nobody knew what to say anyway. Promises to see each other tomorrow? Empty lies. Ask to see something else? There was no more time. Soon, you had to leave and return to the hotel, and from there, most likely back home, to Transylvania. Summer really sucked so far.

You found a fallen tree trunk and sat on it, taking a short break from the walk. You weren’t far from the Mystery Shack anyway. A gentle breeze brushed your cheeks and your bracelets began to tingle once more. You looked at them and smiled. They were always by your side, no matter what. 

“So...” Dipper began, trying to make small talk. “…how…” he was having a hard time finding a good subject, his pulse crazy once more.

“You ok? You look kind of red?” you asked him, reaching out a hand and trying to see if he had a fever.

“Ah! No! I’m tot …” he began but was soon cut off by a sudden noise coming from the trees behind you.

Looking at each other, you two got up and ran to see what was going on, leaving your backpacks behind. Dipper was ahead of you, ready to protect you in case of danger, dodging and jumping over the fallen tree branch and the roots coming out of the ground. You followed close, careful not to trip, your bracelets beginning to warm up, one more than the other. Something wasn’t right, and Mom and Grandpa could feel it, but you had no intention of turning back. If things got worse, you carried chaga mushroom pills in your pockets together with a small lighter and there were plenty of birches around for her to come to your aid. Good thing you decided to pack some with you in America and it was an even better idea to have taken some before you left for Gravity Falls.

After 5 minutes of running, you and Dipper reached a part of the forest where the colors were more neon like, the trees and grass having a strange air around them, as if it was magic, with big mushrooms growing here and there. You looked around, amazed, when the boy groaned and called out to those who made the noise.

“Alright guys, what happened? We heard some strange noise coming from here.”

You looked around, wondering who he’s talking to, when you noticed movement from behind some bushes and the mushrooms. Out came a tall man, his face the perfect copy of Grunkle Stan’s, wearing a long coat over a red shirt and black pants, leaves and bits of twigs pocking out of his hair. Behind him were what looked like garden gnomes, annoyed expressions painted on their faces. The man smiled and waved at you two, holding a strange looking egg in one of his hands.

“Hello Dipper, Dipper’s friend. Sorry for scaring you. I was just on an egg hunt as you can see.” he said, gesturing at the item he was holding.

“You ok, Grunkle Ford? And what is that egg? And what happened here?” Dipper asked, looking at the irritated gnomes.

“We’ll tell you what happened! This man came here, completely ignored us, climbed into that tree and now he destroyed Taro’s mushroom!” one of the creatures said, going and pulling the bush aside to reveal, indeed, a squished mushroom and one of his comrades kneeling by its side, crying, other trying to comfort him.

You and Dipper looked at Grunkle Ford, the boy sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. You were searching through your memory for any kind of information that could help, feeling sorry for the poor gnome. You could recall some vague knowledge about a spirit or fairy able to fix plants and the like, but the details eluded you. Huh. Seems like you had to call the Birch after all. You approached a nearby birch tree, while the gnomes were now yelling at Dipper and his Grunkle, demanding the damage to be fixed.

“Hey Dipper. Do you have a pocket knife?” you asked the boy, finding nothing but the pills and lighter, but nothing to carve the symbol with.

“I do, but why do you need one?” Dipper asked confused.

He approached you, leaving his Grunkle to endure the complains by himself.

“I’m going to summon the Birch. She might be able to help us fix the gnome’s house.” you said taking the small blade and began the summoning ritual.

Soon, the air was filled with a sweet scent and not long after, before you stood the Forest Spirit in all her power. Ford and the gnomes froze at her sight, the man fascinated, and the creatures frightened, her skeletal face, rotten teeth and soulless eyes making their blood freeze. She paid them no mind, looking at you instead.

_“Dear friend, what aid may I offer you?”_

“Hey, Birch. Sorry to have disturbed you. I need help with fixing that mushroom. It’s the home of one of those gnomes, you see.” you said, pointing at the plant.

Birch smiled and some of her roots extended until they reached the mushroom, wrapping themselves around its remains, beginning to glow faintly with a pale, brownish light. In a matter of minutes, nobody could tell that the plant had been squashed to bits.

You thanked the Birch and she returned to her lover, wishing you well and telling you to never fear calling upon her. When she was gone, the gnomes came to thank you and disappeared back into the bushes and their other homes, leaving you with Dipper and Ford who had not said a word the entire time. Until now that is.

“That was fascinating. I’m sorry but who are you?” Ford asked, approaching you and adjusting his glasses to see you better.

“I’m (Y/N), sir.” you answered a bit shyly.

“Well (Y/N), I see you have already been introduced to the world of the supernatural. And you made quite some friends too. Mind sharing some information with me?” he continued, sounding even more excited.

“I’m afraid I can’t. Today might be my last day here, and I’m might have to return home, though I would have loved to.” you answered.

“Oh. That’s too bad. Then, let’s make use of the time left, if possible.”

“Grunkle Ford, (Y/N) stays at the hotel in the next town and I promised her parents I’d be getting her home today. I’m afraid we have to go right now.” Dipper interfered.

“Oh. I see. What a shame. Where are you from (Y/N)?” Ford continued with his questioning, obviously not wanting to give up easily.

You continued to talk him as the three of you headed to retrieve your backpacks and then go to the Mystery Shack where Dipper would drive you back to the hotel.

“Transylvania, sir. My uncle, James, knows more about the supernatural than me. You might want to talk to him more than to me. I can give you his number if you want.”

“That would help. Thank you very much. It’s rare to run into someone who’s not freaked out by the weirdness in the world. Truly.”

“I know.” you agreed with Ford, while looking down at your steps. 

Once more regret settled in your chest as if it was its own home. Hunger perished, having mercy upon you as you were already having enough on your plate without it needing to add more. You didn't feel like you could eat anything anyway. Why did good things have to end so quickly?

"Thank you for bringing me back." You said taking the safety belt off.

"You're welcome." Dipper replied. "Hey. If by some miracle, you end up staying more, would you.... would you like to come to Gravity Falls tomorrow as well?" He asked you, shyly. 

"Sure. I'd like that much." You said, a tiny hope flickering in your chest. 

To explore it more, to talk to Ford and listen to his stories. It would have been a dream come true.

But fantasies rarely become reality and even if they do, there's always a twist at the core. 

You wished Dipper good night and got out of the car, heading to the hotel. You heard the engine turning on and saw his car leave the parking lot only when you were already inside, watching him go through the glass doors. You sighed, feeling down all of the sudden. 

You headed to the room you shared with your mother and sisters, relieved to find it empty with a small note on your pillow, telling you of how they left to walk through the town, to admire the scenery. Fine by you. You needed to be alone for a while anyway. 

You set your backpack on the bed, planning to take a shower and climb into bed when you heard a faint "Auch" coming from it. Color disappeared from your face as your eyes stared at the fabric container, a feeling of Deja vu creeping in your mind. Hesitantly, you opened it, what followed next making your jaw drop. 

"P-Please don't hurt me."


	48. Triangles and Dreams

You stepped back a little, not sure about what should surprise you more, the fact that there was a blue, one eyed triangle in your backpack or that it was talking, begging you not to hurt him. You raised your hands in the air, in a sign of peace, slowly approaching the little fella. 

"H-hey." You said, feeling the need to slap yourself in the face at the stupid greeting that came out of your mouth. 

The triangle answered not, trembling even more now, tears forming at the corners of his eye. 

Great. What have you gotten yourself into again? 

Will was scared beyond words, having found himself in this strange environment, far away from home. This was all Bill's fault. He was the one who pushed Will into that backpack, calling it a prank. He was supposed to jump out of the it when he felt movement, scaring whoever was carrying it. Needless to say that the blue triangle could not do such a thing, too scared to even say a word and hoping that he would somehow get away from there, without anyone noticing, but judging from the constant sound of voices and the moving of the backpack, the chances to escape were next to zero. Thus he could do nothing but embrace himself and wait for the moment to be found, but despite the preparation and knowing that there was no other way, he was still scared.

Still trembling, vision blurry from tears, he looked at the girl, noticing faint, scarlet and golden lights glowing from her wrists, a power alike his yet much, much stronger emanating from it. Just who was this girl? 

When she talked, despite her calm tone, he couldn’t help but tremble even more in fear, feeling tears begin to form. He tried to gather himself, to face it like Bill would, oh! how Will missed him now! Still hesitant and with his voice shaking, he managed to speak.

“H-H-Hi.”

At least he was talking now. You sighed and slowly sat down on the bed opposite of the one you were sharing with your sister, May, where the blue triangle was, his eye following his every move.

“Um…My name is (Y/N). You?” you asked, trying to adopt a more cheerful tone.

“W-Will. N-Nice to meet you.” he said, beginning to relax a bit.

“W-Would you like some tissues? For the eye I mean.” you pointed at it while getting up to look for a tissue box Rea left in the bathroom.

“Y-Yes. Thank you very much, miss Light.”

Light? Another nickname for your list apparently. Still, it made you smile as you found the box and went to hand it to Will. He was rather cute and really well-behaved as far as you could tell, from this little conversation. You sat down again, waiting for him to wipe his tears.

“Are you feeling better?” you asked when he was done.

“Yes. Thank you.” he answered, a bit more cheerful now.

You noticed he was still trembling, though less violent now.

“Are you cold? I think there’s a spare blanket somewhere around here.”

You began to search for it when you heard even more sniffing sounds coming from the triangle. You turned around to see Will crying his eye out and burying his face in the tissue. Alarmed you rushed to his side, to see what was wrong.

“Hey! You ok? What happened?” you asked.

“Y-You…sniff…nice…sniff…” Will tried to speak, but the tears and sniffing got in the way.

On an impulse, you hugged the little guy, trying to comfort him the best of their abilities. After a few minutes, he calmed down enough for you to wrap him in your shawl and go with him to the room’s balcony where you two enjoyed the darkened sky in silence. At least for a short while, until you began to talk, as there were still answers to be given.

“Um…I’m sorry for my intrusion…” he began, thankfully not crying this time. “It….my brother…he said it would be a harmless prank….”

His voice was beginning to tremble, and that was your cue to soothe him again.

“It’s ok, little fella. I’m not mad. But we need to get you back home tomorrow. Your brother must be worried.”

“Y-yes. T-thank you.” he said, looking at you with the sincerest eyes you ever saw.

Still, how were you going to hide him from your family? And how to take him back? You had to call Dipper and tell him, but you had no idea what his phone number was as you haven’t asked for it. Maybe Will would know something?

“Do you happen to know the Pines family?” you asked, hopeful.

“Yes! I do. My brother and I are really close to them. Miss Shooting Star is nice to me as well.” Will answered in a merry tone.

“Ok. Do you know their phone number? They might be able to come pick you up.”

Will more than gladly agreed and you two somehow managed to sneak downstairs at the reception where the phone was, without anyone noticing him and dialed the Pines’ number. When the other end picked up, you were greeted by a deep male voice, Grunkle Stan, yelling furiously about how the Mystery Shack was closed and how it was late. You got scared at first, but quickly regained your composure when he was about to hang up.

“Wait! Mr. Pines, it’s me, (Y/N)! There’s something I have to tell you!” you spoke in a hurry, hoping he heard you.

There was silence for a few minutes on the other side until you heard some noise followed by Dipper’s voice.

“(Y/N)!” he said, and you noticed a note of relief in his tone. “Are you ok? Did you find by any chance a blue triangle in your luggage?”

“Yep. Just what I wanted to talk about. I’m sorry to be bothering you, but could you drive here and get him? I know it’s late and all, but…”

“I’m really sorry (Y/N), but I can’t come tonight. Bill thought it would be funny to bust my tires and it will take all night to get them fixed. I’ll try to get there as early as possible in the morning though. Don’t worry.”

This Bill guy or, better said, triangle was sounding odder, the more you heard about him. Was he that bore to make all these pranks?

“Ok. I’ll ask my parents when we go home and phone you back. Tell Mr. Stan that I’m sorry for bothering him at such a late hour.”

“Don’t worry about that. And sorry he yelled at you. He had no idea you were the one calling.” he said, trying to laugh off the awkwardness.

“Ok. Call you later than.”

“Yeah…hear from you later…”

Dipper hanged up, despite not wanting too. He wanted to talk to her more, to get to know her better. (Y/N) was like a fresh breath of air to him, her love for adventure and thirst for knowledge. He remembered the first time he found the journal, how eager he was to discover its mysteries and the rush of adrenaline as he was fighting to escape another dangerous situation, he got himself into, most of the time. After he saw her summon and talk to that birch looking creature in the gnome’s forest, his interest in her skyrocketed. Just what else did she know? What other tricks did she have? He wanted to see them all. Not in the creepy way though.

“Someone has a cruuuusssshhh!” Mabel sang as she appeared from behind him, Bill not far behind.

He was unusually silent that night, despite the new opportunity to make fun of the boy’s red face. The twins gave him odd looks, confused about his silence.

“You ok, Bill? You’re unusually quiet tonight. And that’s never a good sign.” Dipper said, wondering what other prank the yellow demon prepared for him.

He was still distrustful of the triangle, the horrors of Weirdmagedon still fresh in his mind, even after so long. Everyone thought him dead after he was erased from Stan’s mind, but much to their surprise, he came back, and not alone. He brought Will along, a different version of himself from an alternate universe, much more likable, blue and with a gentler personality. How he got lost between universes, nobody knew, but frankly, it didn’t really matter. Mabel loved him the moment he saw him, and even Dipper was much warmer to him now than at the beginning. Still, he was yet to show any trust to the yellow triangle. Stan and Ford came back from their adventures and decided to stay in Gravity Falls to keep an eye on Bill, thus the twins began to come visit as well. However, Bill wasn’t the same as before. He wasn’t able to make deals anymore and enter the minds of others. Dreams were a different matter though; he could still roam there as he saw fit. His personality was much calmer, his sanity having returned a bit. He was spending most of his time playing pranks on people and teasing Will. There was never a dull moment with him around and those rare silent ones never foretold anything good.

“That girl…” he said after a short while, staring out the window, somewhere in the distance. “There’s something about her.”

“What exactly?” Dipper asked, worried.

Having Bill focus his attention on (Y/N) was the last thing he wanted.

“Those bracelets. I don’t like them at all.” he continued, still looking in the distance.

Dipper sighed. He asked Mabel to keep an eye on the phone while he went to ask Grunkle Ford to help him as he was bound to have something to fix the tires. He found his two grunkles sitting on the front porch, drinking a beer and talking, looking over photos of their time at sea. As soon as he saw his grand-nephew, Stan got up to apologize for how he talked to (Y/N). Dipper assured him that it was all ok, then turned to Ford and asked him to help with the car, to which he happily agreed.

As they were working on changing the tires, Ford couldn’t help but notice his grand-nephew seeming distracted. 

“Something bothering you?” he asked.

“Kind of.” Dipper answered, with half a mouth.

“Well, you know you can talk to me, right? So? What is it?”

“It’s… it’s about (Y/N). I don’t want her to leave this fast. I barely got to show her around at all.” Dipper said, looking down.

He got up and went to sit on a chair nearby, thinking again of the imminent goodbye that he had to say tomorrow morning.

“Oh! Sound like you have a crush on her.” Ford said, stopping from his task and going to sit on next to his grand-nephew.

“Yeah. I really like her.” Dipper admitted, more to himself than to his grunkle.

What was the point of lying anymore anyway? It didn’t make things any easier and everyone was already aware of it, so no use in trying to deceive himself that it was otherwise.

“I mean, how often do you come across a girl like her? You saw what she did in the forest. She’s amazing.” he said, looking at the stars.

“Yeah. She sure is. I can see why you like her so much.” Ford agreed, giving his nephew a smirk.

“I don’t want her to leave so soon.” Dipper continued, letting his head down and putting it between his arms.

“Well, you know where she’s from and then there’s the internet. You two could always keep in touch with that.” Ford said, trying to lift the boy’s mood.

Dipper did not reply, still looking down at his feet. Distant relationships were not really his thing as he didn’t really believe they could last. He sighed and hoped that (Y/N) would stay, at least one more day. When Mabel called him to the phone, saying that she was on the other end, he bolted out of his seat as if he was chased by a bunch of undead, eager to hear her answer. The news he received nearly made him dance in joy. (Y/N) was going to stay for the whole week.

Nightmare King was looking at the small flame flickering in the glass bowl, surrounded by scarlet petals, a new decoration for the realm he created for his beloved granddaughter, a somber expression painting his face, sharp claws hitting against the cold table in a rhythmic motion. Pale King was staring somewhere in the distance, his mind lost in thought, fingers drawing plans with invisible lines that only he could see. Radiance sighed, not knowing whether or not to join these two in their foolishness or support the feelings about to blossom. She leaned a bit more towards the first option.

In the distance, Will was perched on a branch trying to escape the bunch of children chasing after him in a mere innocent game that was a bit too rough for his taste. Maybe a tad dangerous too, now that Grimmchild was able to spew much stronger fireballs that although still didn’t do too much damage, were still not pleasant to be hit with. Vlad and Ghost could attest to that, the boy having been covered with a thick fireproof cape by Grandpa. His father was running after him, trying to make the little rascal stop with it, but the only thing he managed to accomplish was to have his entire face covered in black ash, his patience wearing thin. How did the son respond? That baby proved far slyer than anyone would have believed him to be, with that adorable little face. He ran up to his dad, gave him a hug, looking up to meet his eyes and let out the most heart melting mew you ever heard, followed by a sweet “papa!”. Everyone around was on the floor, holding their chests, hearts about to explode from the cuteness overload. The only exception seemed to be Shade Lord who was busy demanding more chin scratches from you.

They didn’t even care about the blue triangle that appeared along with you into the nightmare, more preoccupied with the comfort your touch provided. You were sitting in their lap, Pure nearby as always not trusting the Eldritch entity at all. They couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were planning something to get back at their father, which was true, and they had no intention of letting you get involved. However, for now, everything Shade cared about was too get as much attention as possible. They didn’t even need to do anything to cause distress to the Lights this time, only sit back and enjoy the show about to unfold. This Dipper Pines guy was like a blessing for above.

After minutes of silence, Nightmare King finally talked, pouring his irritation.

“I could probably offer him the worst nightmares I have in store, though it would require a lot of power on my part. I could really use your assistance, dear sister.”

“Oh! Please. So the boy happens to like her. So what? We don’t even know if she likes him back. And if she does, we should be happy for her. Don’t you agree Wyrm?” Radiance snapped, seeking help from the Pale Light.

He didn’t reply, still lost in calculations and muttering something about saws and other nonsense. This only git more on the Moth’s nerves.

“For crying out loud!” she cried out in exasperation. “Would you act the same if Hornet got herself a boyfriend?”

At this, the Pale King snapped out of his thoughts, shooting Radiance the deadliest glare she ever saw, his blood boiling. It didn’t help the situation that the young princess refused to join the others, still mad at you for not taking her along to America. A completely new land to explore and you had the audacity to not let her tag along!? Such rudeness could not be overlooked! Woe to whoever dared defend you from her rage.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” he said through greeted teeth.

Not one, but both of his daughters?! No! Never! Not even over his dead corpse! He would crawl from the grave! Not in a million years! He’d rather lose his kingdom than…! Herrah would tell him if Hornet had someone, right? RIGHT?!

His claws were digging into the table cloth and even deeper, the wood snapping under the pressure. Radiance wing-palmed herself. She and her big mouth. She could only hope that tomorrow, when you agreed to introduce him to them, everything would be ok, without any major incidents…fat chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like Will! I found him to be so adorable and just couldn't resist!


	49. Meeting the family

You were sitting at the table, eyes glued onto the watch of your phone. 8:30. The bus to Gravity Falls would leave in an hour and a half. Time wasn’t passing fast enough for you, feeling like a snail struggling to walk from point A to B while having to avoid countless obstacles in the way. You were all too eager to return to Gravity Falls, to see Mabel and Dipper again, let Will reunite with Bill, to explore again. Your mother had to tell you several times already to stop beating your foot against the floor and then yelled at you for tapping your fingers on the glass. You said nothing, the euphoria of being able to stay a little more, still fresh in your mind and you didn’t want to upset her when she was the one who gave you such wonderful news. Too bad that in your happiness, you hadn’t noticed the disaster about to come, greedy eyes staring at gold and diamonds.

“So, what are we going to do today?” Patrick asked, his question being met with a stern glare from your mother.

She was still mad. You sincerely wanted to congratulate her.

“We don’t have much money left. We’ll mostly walk around. Doing a bit of sightseeing.” your father replied to his brother, then turned his attention to you. “And I want you to come with us.”

You nearly chocked on your food.

“No. I…*cough* …can’t.” you hit your chest a bit, trying to regain control over your breathing and stop the coughing. “I want to return to Gravity Falls. I need to return something to Dipper.” you replied.

It wasn’t a lie. You still had his magnetic gun the boy gave you to use while exploring the alien ship. You completely forgot about it and you had to give it back to him along with Will.

“Can’t it wait? We came here as a family.”

You bitt your tongue, his reply igniting a sparkle of anger inside you. A family. Was that why he allowed your uncle and aunt to walk all over you? Because you were family?

“No. It can’t wait.” you said and rose from the table. You couldn’t stay there for another second, because if you did, you’d definitely say something everyone would regret. 

No one stopped you. They didn’t dare to. They resumed their conversations, acting as if nothing happened, except for one, continuing to stare at your wrist, until you disappeared out of their sight.

Dreams and wishes don’t come true but if they do, they always come with a twist.

“You ok, (Y/N)?” Dipper asked, on the way to Gravity Falls.

He couldn’t wait anymore to see you and decided to drive to the hotel and pick you up. A pleasant surprise, even sweeter after the bitterness left behind by the breakfast you had. You gave him a smile, not wanting to burden him with your stupid problems. Why should you anyway? Today was a big day after all. You will introduce your new friends to your bug family! Just the thought was able to wipe any sadness from your mind.

“Yep. Just excited for today. I can’t wait for you and Mabel to meet my siblings.” you replied, trying not to laugh again.

“Me too. Especially your grandfather. I’m really curious how the Nightmare King is like.” he replied, more relieved now, turning his attention to the empty road.

“Will already met him. What did you think about Grandpa, Will?” you asked the triangle resting in your lap, wrapped in one of your shawls.

He looked up, recalling the events of last night with the children chasing them around. He didn’t get to spend to much time with the Scarlet Figure, which was the Nightmare King, only made a bit of small talk, the usual greetings and questions that anyone asks on the first meeting. He must have caught the Monarch on a bad day since all of his answers and cherry tone felt forced, trying to mask a deep irritation beneath which the demon knew was not directed towards him, fortunately. Still, despite his bad mood that day, he still did his best to be a great host and the blue triangle couldn’t find fault in that.

“He…he was a nice person.” Will answered in lack of better words.

Dipper was satisfied with that, though he couldn’t truly trust what the demon was saying. Will was someone who was too nice for his own sake. The complete opposite of Bill, that was for sure. However, he trusted you, and your smile. If you said that the Nightmare King was ok, then he believed you. And he couldn’t wait to meet him.

You chatted for the rest of the trip, telling him about Ghost and Grimmchild who ran around setting things on fire, about Shade who demanded chin scratches all night, Pure who was by your side, always the protective one. Dipper listened, wondering at some point how will all these bugs react to him, especially if they knew he had feelings for her. Stan and Ford encouraged him to confess, but he didn’t know if he had the courage too. Was he too fast? He knew her for only a day, after all. Maybe she would think he was gross or would be freaked out. He didn’t want that. He wanted to wait some more, to show her what he was capable of. No need to rush now. There was still time.

When they reached the Mystery Shack, Mabel was already waiting for them outside, excited to see her new bestie. As soon as you got out of the car, she jumped on you and gave you the strongest hug you ever received, nearly cutting your airways for a few seconds. Dipper had to come and peel her off you, much to your relief.

“I have prepared everything already. The beds, the blankets. It’s a sleepover!!” the girl yelled, throwing her hands in the air.

You were smiling while also fighting to get your breathing under control. You had a feeling she and Ghost would get along just perfectly. Maybe even Hornet would like her, if the princess would be willing to join her that time and not chose to sulk into a corner like last night, because of something you had no control over. Pretty much a useless hope, you were aware of that. You’ve seen her mad before and knew that she was the type who could hold a grudge for days. Poor Brooke. In any case, Pale King assured you that he will talk her out of it. So you got that covered.

“So, we finally talk face to face. Eh, Light?” a voice snapped you out of your thoughts and brought you back to reality.

You looked at the one who spoke, being met by who had to be Bill, Will’s brother. He was a spitting image of the other one, except that he was yellow and was emanating confidence from head to toe, so unlike Will’s humble personality. His brother was already by his side, hugging him and crying how much he missed him. The yellow demon didn’t seem to care, looking rather annoyed at the closeness. Still, he chose to let the blue triangle do his thing, not wanting to get another lecture from Mabel about “his responsibilities” as Will’s sibling and “fraternal love” from Mabel.

“Why do you guys call me Light?” you found yourself asking.

“Because of your bracelets. You might not be able to see it, but they radiate scarlet and yellow lights.” Bill answered, his one eye staring at your wrist.

You looked at them too, the black and golden bands shining under the daylight. Radiance’s bracelet was made of gold, the dreamcatchers adorned with small diamonds in the middle. How she got her wings on these was beyond you, and it made you feel strange to be wearing such expensive jewelry but couldn’t bring yourself to share these sensations with her. She’s done enough as it was, even more. Why make her effort seem unappreciated.

You followed Mable inside, better said she dragged you after her, and into the living room where you found 3 sleeping bags arranged on the floor, with popcorn, sodas and sweets, as if prepared for a sleepover. Though…technically it sort of was. Ford was there too eager to make acquaintance with the Higher Beings and the others. Stan was busy with giving tours to the Mystery Shack to the visitors eager to see something out of the ordinary, something to make them forget of the monotony of life, regardless if they were fake or not.

“Ok. Everyone ready?” you asked, after everyone was settled in their sleeping bags.

You had the honor to sleep on the armchair, one of your favorite sleeping places might you add, forget beds and that, chair and couches were way comfier.

“Yep. Let’s roll out!” Mabel screamed, full of energy as always.

You had to wonder how she would fall asleep when she was so very much awake.

“I hope I’ll make a good impression.” Ford replied.

“I hope so too…wait! Are you two coming as well?” Dipper said looking at the two dream demons.

Will was carrying two smaller sleeping bags, one for him and Bill, while his brother was looking around bored.

“Yep. You thought you’d get rid of us so easily. Pretty disappointing Pine Tree. I thought you learned that lesson already.” Bill replied with a smug face.

He laid in his sleeping bag, next to Will and Ford, the man giving them a death glare.

“You better not try anything funny while we are in there.” he said, laying down, his concerns growing tenfold than before. “This will not end well.”

And he was right, but not for the reasons he expected.

Radiance was already fuming and (Y/N) and her friends haven’t even showed up yet. She glared at the other two Higher Beings; daggers ready to pierce them.

“So…are we clear? You two will behave and if any of you causes a scene, I will make sure you will regret it for the rest of your existence. Am I clear?” she said, her voice dripping with anger.

Reluctant, the two nodded, but neither had any intention of respecting their word. This was a matter of great importance. They couldn’t just sit back and smile and chat merrily while their daughter/granddaughter was being swooped off her feet by some jerk.

Grimm hadn’t joined them, and neither did Grimmchild and Ghost as he had no intention of letting the little ones witness the fiasco that he was sure would ensue. Let the adults’ tantrums and foolishness not sully the images they already had of them. The Troupe Master begged his father to act decent and not embarrass anyone, but he knew that his pleas fell on deaf ears. Thus he prayed that everything would be fine, and that you won’t come to hate him after that day.

Shade was standing nearby, bucket of popcorn in one hand, glass with cola in another, a box of chocolate in one more, having 4 arms sure helped in situations like this, and ready to enjoy the show. They knew the Pale Light and Scarlet Flame would try something, and if Radiance was planning to stop them…well, they couldn’t have that, could they?

A Grimmkin came to them, to announce the guests’ arrival. Time for the show, everyone. Get comfy and enjoy the charade. Shade was sure to do so.

When you told Dipper that you had a lot of little bug siblings, he expected about 10 or 12 children, not a hundred! He watched the army of black, white masked creatures come running to you, followed by an incredibly tall one, all of them eager to jump in your arms and be held, but also curious to see their new potential friends. Mabel was filled with excitement, asking you about every single one of them, their names, what they liked, what games they liked to play. Ford too was fascinated, introducing himself to the little ones, and laughing when they demanded hugs from him. Not all the children talked. Not yet at least. Some, like Pure, were not yet comfortable with hearing their own voices, a trauma that still haunted them but was getting better, much, much better thanks to their parent’s dedication and love. Will was already being chased by some of the babies, resuming their game of tag from last time, without anyone to spit fire balls all over them…until Bill thought that it would be funny. Now there were blue fireballs being thrown around as well. Maybe joined them too, happy to run through the scarlet fields filled with crimson roses and lanterns floating in the air, small flames dancing happily to everyone’s enjoyment.

“Dipper, these are Pure and Flower.” you said, introducing the two siblings, the small one held tight in your arms. “This is Dipper, the one I was talking about yesterday.”

A red blush ran across the boy’s face. You talked about him? What did you say? He greeted the two bugs, trying to get his heartbeat under control. He was surprised by their black eyes and the cold shiver that run through his body when he shook the tall one’s hand. There was something off about them, though he didn’t expect them to be normal when you told them that they were sentient and some could use magic known as soul, but this… he couldn’t shake off the sensation that something was wrong with them. He also noticed that beneath that apparent void hid a lot of emotions, shining through like a lighthouse in a stormy, black night.

“N-Nice…to …meet…you.” Pure said, a bit louder than how they usually talked, still uncomfortable with talking.

“Nice to meet you too, Pure.” Dipper replied.

“Sister… liked ship. She… talked about it…wouldn’t shut up.” the prince continued, throwing a playful glance towards you.

“I didn’t talk about it that much.” you complained, trying to stop yourself from busting out laughing.

“If you come to Gravity Falls again and bring them with you too, we can all go together.” Dipper said, smiling and looking at you.

Suddenly, a sharp object flew by the boy’s face, landing in the bark of a nearby tree, with a loud crack. You looked at the silver fork impaled in the wood, and then back at Dipper, a long line running across his left cheek, turning red as blood seeped out.

“Oh, silly me! My deepest apologies. My hand must have slipped.” a sickly-sweet voice cried out, coming closer.

Everyone turned to see who spoke, the children stopping their game, Mabel and Ford looking at the four approaching figures, Nightmare King Grimm with a smile that was so wide it looked forced and sinister, Pale King with his polite attitude, trying to keep an expressionless façade on, Radiance who was glaring daggers at her brother, and was ready to impale him with her swords of light, and Shade Lord, who just shoved a fist of popcorn in his mouth, enjoying the show. The group stopped in front of you and Dipper, the Scarlet Monarch offering a deep bow along with another apology.

“Nice to meet you, Dipper and sorry once again for the small…incident. I’m quite the clumsy man sometimes.”

“Indeed. But don’t worry dear. It won’t repeat AGAIN. Right, dear brother?” Radiance asked, her stare ready to murder.

Grandpa waved her off, annoyed. She could take her ideas somewhere else for all he cared. He was not afraid of her rage. especially now, when he was strong enough to counter it with his own, and he had plenty of reason to be angry. He could see the feelings in that boy’s eyes when he looked at you, anger boiling in him at that moment. You were his little baby girl, innocent, brave and naïve and hell be damned if he would just sit around and let some delinquent sully that.

Pale King coughed lightly, and though he shared the other king’s ideas, he was one to always mind his manners and image even in front of those whom he disliked, a skill he had refined over years of having to deal with the Soul Master, selfish nobles and… Zote. While he had nothing against more…. savage approaches, he prefer to learn about his enemies and then crush them swiftly, so they would fear him even in their grave. 

“My apologies for these two. I am the Pale King, ruler of Hallownest and father of (Y/N). Pleased to make your acquaintance.” he said, bowing a bit, out of respect.

“Um… nice to make your acquaintance too, your Highness.” Dipper said, a bit scared now.

He could tell that Nightmare King did not like him at all. At least Radiance seemed nicer. His eyes fell on the big, black Higher Being in the back, still shoving popcorn in their large, fanged mouth, drinking soda and sitting comfy in a chair, looking at them as if enjoying a movie in a cinema. What was the deal with them?

Shade was overjoyed and surprised at the same time. These guys came here barely 5 minutes ago, and things were already getting heated up, a killing attempt already being made. Oh! This was gold entertainment for them, that was for sure. Still, something was missing. They already had the snacks, the drinks, and were sitting in a soft chair. What else was there? Hm…

Bill was on the floor laughing his ass off, Will rushing to treat Dipper’s cut, scared out of his mind. Neither of the Higher Beings acted that way the day before. What happened since yesterday? And why did he feel this odd pain in his side?

Now it was your turn to fume. You set Flower down and stepped closer to Grandpa.

“What was that about Grandpa? A bit more and that fork could have killed him.” you said, angrily.

You watched as his expression changed from joyful to shocked, eyes grown wide, jaw hanging in the air. And it wasn’t only him. Radiance and Pale King were the same. You looked at the three of them, confused.

“What…” you began but were quickly swept up in the air by two black tentacles wrapped around your waist.

They quickly set you down in Shade’s lap, the black creature wrapping their free arm around you.

“Chin scratches.” they said, waiting.

You stared at them in disbelief, the Lights and Flame wasting no time to explode.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” they screamed at the same time.

The Lord of Shades stared at them blankly. It was clear that they couldn’t care less about the entire situation.

“I want chin scratches.” they replied nonchalantly.

That…was not the right answer. Pale King facepalmed himself while muttering curses under his breath, Nightmare King not knowing whether to laugh or cry and Radiance already done with the whole meeting.

Pure sighed, relieved that their sister was alright, but mad at the Higher Being. They still didn’t trust them, but at least this stunt helped ease the atmosphere, a bit…they hoped, and diverted the other’s anger from Dipper. The boy looked at them, pointing the Shade Lord and others.

“Are they always like that?” he asked.

“Yes…unfortunately…” the prince replied.

Things went…somewhat well after that. Pale and Nightmare King having a talk with Ford who had many questions to ask, both still keeping an eye on Dipper who was spending time with Pure and Radiance who was eager to know more about him, Will resting on his shoulder and watching the others, Mabel returned to playing with the children, this time Bill being the one chased. Not that he complained. He was a sneaky one and had no intention on making things easier for anyone. Much to his surprise though, the little ones were full of surprises as well. You…you were stuck giving chin scratches to an oversized cat with four arms and eight eyes. They were a bit disappointed that the tension was gone, but it was never too late for it to start again. All they had to do was wait.

“And this is the famous, at least in these parts, Eye-Bat.” Stan said motioning to a eye-bat made out of foam and leather, hanging on the wall beside him.

The tourists gasped and took photos, asking questions, the ordinary visitor stuff. Too bad, none noticed when one of them slipped away, going to places no one was allowed too, in a room where two triangles and 4 humans were sleeping, deep in a dream of scarlet. Ignoring the oddity of the situation, she acted swiftly, taking the bracelet of gold, careful to not wake up the girl she so despised.

The pain was too much. Will woke up, to see Bill punching and kicking him in his sleep, yet he didn’t move at all, startled by the stranger he found, admiring the jewelry shining in the golden light.

She was no fool. She knew she couldn’t stay there long, least she wanted anyone to wake up and be caught in the act. She left without looking back, unaware that she was caught.

This was bad. Really bad.

Will returned to the dream, alarmed to give them the news.

Radiance felt herself being pulled out of the nightmare, her connection lost, unable to stay any longer. She called out to her brother, her voice fading as she began to disappear until she was no more.

“What happened?” Dipper aske Pure who shrugged, not understanding the situation either.

The answer, however, send shivers down their spine, with Will screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Everyone wake up!! One of the bracelets was stolen!”


	50. Fall apart

You were livid, your fists clenched, and your mind clouded with rage. That bitch really did it this time. Family or whatever be damned! You had ENOUGH!

As soon as Will told you what happened and more importantly, who did it, you were ready to kill! You woke up and rushed out the door and into the front yard of the shack, trying to catch her, but she was long gone. You cussed out and kicked the dust away, feeling your face burn with anger. Dipper and Ford came as well, followed by Mabel and the triangle twins. They tried to calm you down, but you were too pissed to listen to them, tears running down your cheeks. As they were talking to you, Stan came out from the forest, leaves and twigs caught in his hat and suit, mumbling angrily.

“What are you guys doing here? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” he asked, placing his hands on his sides and looking at you with one brow raised and another lowered.

“Yeah, but something happened.” Dipper said, while patting you on the back.

“Stan, haven’t you noticed anyone coming in?” Ford asked.

“Nothing. Why? Did we have a thief? Was it that jerk of a woman who refused to pay?” Stan answered, looking mad.

Hearing that you looked at him, tears finally stopping from flowing.

“A woman who refused to pay?” you repeated.

“Yes. Had to chase her through the forest at the end of the tour, but she still escaped.” he answered, dusting himself off.

You froze. So that bitch made it away with your bracelet. Then it was as good as gone. You crashed to the ground and began sobbing violently, hurt and ashamed by how neglectful you were. Losing the bracelet Mom gave you broke you inside.

Mabel kneeled beside you, hugging you and trying to calm you down, while Ford and Dipper were explaining the situation to Stan. The man cussed and came to apologize, but you weren’t mad at him. You had no reason to. The one who bore the entire guilt was none other than yourself. How could you be so deeply asleep that you didn’t feel her take the bracelet off? Pain and shame filled your being. How could you face Radiance now? You felt Dipper’s arms wrap around you as he was trying to offer comfort. His warmth felt…oddly nice. You leaned into his chest, finally able to calm down and think clearly to hope that you could still recover your bracelet. Maybe there was not too late.

After you stopped crying, everyone devised a plan to catch Camelia and make her return the bracelet. You split up in teams, you and Dipper, Mabel and Will and Ford and Bill. You set out through the forest, following the tracks Stan told you about until the traces faded and the groups had to part ways.

It’s been three hours and there had been no signs of Camelia anywhere. Exhausted and hopeless you crashed on the ground, ready to cry again, while Dipper was trying to encourage you to try more. Maybe there were traces you two hadn’t seen, or she was hiding somewhere. But you knew that she was gone and so was the bracelet. You tried not to cry again, but the tears just wouldn’t stop at all. Too much pain, too much shame. Dipper was siting by your side, letting you cry in his chest as he patted your back, telling you that everything would be ok. A lie he could hardly bring himself to believe, but he had to. For you.

Suddenly, the bushes around you two began to rustle, and gnomes began to come out, all curious and worried, seeing the one who helped them the day before crying her eyes out. They quickly gathered around you, demanding to know what happened and who was responsible.

While Dipper was telling them the whole story, you were trying to calm down and regain control of your hectic breathing. The gnomes listened, throwing quick glances your way now and then, a tad more relieved now that you stopped crying. At the end, one of them said:

“Unfortunately, we didn’t see anyone run through the forest all day long. But if there is anything we can do to help, feel free to tell us. It’s the least we can do to repay the kindness you’ve shown us the other day.”

You thanked them but had no more power in you to continue the search. Your feet were giving in already and your head begun to hurt, the world spinning around you as the ground was shaking under each step. You had to turn back.

Dipper helped you climb on his back and then carried you back to the shack, looking at your face from time to time, to make sure you were ok. Inside, he too was boiling with fury towards the woman who stole your bracelet and ruined what could have been a good day, and a chance to impress you. He wasn’t going to let that bitch get away with it, but your current state he had to make sure you were somewhere safe. Once you guys were back at the shack, he let you down on the stairs, the fresh air and sunlight alleviating your nausea, and he went inside to look for some medicine. While he was gone, you looked at the clear sky, so calm and peaceful…why… why did it have to end like this?

“Are you sure you are ok?” Stan asked as he pulled into the hotel’s parking lot.

You nodded, Dipper holding your hand tighter in his, eyes filled with concern. He didn’t want to leave you alone, didn’t dare too. As you were carsick, he insisted on siting with you in the back to make sure nothing happened, while Stan drove you back to the hotel. A tense atmosphere dominated the car during the entire ride, the recent events hanging heavy on everyone’s shoulders.

Dipper helped you get out of the car and told Stan to leave without him. Even if you were at the hotel, he didn’t want to leave your side. You watched the car depart, the sound of the engine fading in the distance as it got father and farther away. Somehow…it was much more comforting to hear that rather than the deafening silence that followed. You turned to look at the hotel, wondering why you came here. This was the last place you wanted to be in now, a limp feeling spreading through your body the more you stared at the entrance. You felt Dipper’s fingers gently slip around yours, holding them tight. The Nightmare Bracelet began to tingle, the black color turning slightly red, but it quickly returned to normal. Not now. This wasn’t the time to let his emotions get in the way. 

“We can walk around some more if you want. Exercise helps.” Dipper said, looking down and scratching the back of his neck.

“Y-Yeah… I would like that.” you replied, and began to walk, still holding hands with him.

The day was hot, the sun in the sky dead set on making everyone know how it felt to be in a sauna. Sweat was flowing down your brow and back, cold and wet, sending shivers up your spine. A gentle breeze had mercy upon the world, brushing your cheeks shyly as it passed, a touch you were all too grateful for. Birds were singing in the trees, hidden in the but their melody was drowned by the sound of fast cars passing by on the road nearby.

You and Dipper had been walking for half an hour now, talking and smiling a little. You told him more about your adventures, about Kuro whom you missed, about Ace and Olaf and Cody, the strolls you used to take back in Sweden, about Moder and how he let you ride on his back from time to time, Henry and how he was chased around by a mud creature who fell in love with him. Dipper chuckled here and there, the mental image of a monster of dirt and mire trying to run after someone causing him to giggle, but it wasn’t only that. He was jealous. Cody from what he understood lived in Sweden, but this Henry guy was living in the same town as you. He was much closer to you, closer than Dipper could be. Anger began to boil in his veins again. He wanted to spend this day with you, making memories, showing himself off, giving you a good impression, and…maybe finally confess, but now…how could he tell you he liked you when you were down? Once again, he promised himself he won’t let the thief get away with it. He will recover the bracelet. No matter what.

You returned back to the hotel, shamefully declaring the summer heat the winner of that day. You were planning to watch Tv or listen to some music in your room since you didn’t want to be alone yet, knowing that you’ll break in tears again. And you were tired of crying and…afraid to sleep, knowing that Radiance would not be able to pull you into her dream…only nightmares remained.

You barely stepped foot in the hotel’s lobby when you heard an all too familiar screech, followed by Rea’s angry screams and Vlad’s whimpers, the word “thief” floating in the air. You and Dipper looked at each other, and then rushed to the source of the screams and found Camelia and your eldest sister in a heated argument in front of the room you, your siblings and mother were sharing, Rea’s fingers wrapped around the woman’s, nails digging into the flesh, your cousin sitting in a corner, hands covering his face as tears ran down his cheeks. His display sincerely left you cold. You didn’t want to see him or his mother ever again, real life or nightmares.

“Those items belong to me and my sisters. Give them back. Now.” your sister said, her tone deep and menacing.

If looks could kill, then that woman would have dropped dead already.

You looked at Camelia again and when you noticed what was in her free hand, you froze, hands turning to fists and heart beating frantically, fueled with rage. Your pocket watch, May’s bracelet and Rea’s necklace were hanging by their respective chains, your aunt’s fingers wrapped around the silver links22, refusing to let go. You stormed to your aunt and grabbed the items, managing to pull them out of her grasp, fortunately, not breaking anything. First, your bracelet. Now, the last gifts from great-grandmother. This. Has. Gone. Too. Far.

Camelia turned around, startled by your presence and the jewelries being snatched from her. The moment her eyes met yours, you could see the color drain from her face, but only for a moment. Before she could open her mouth, you slapped her so hard, your own palm hurt, burning with pain, her head twisting to the side, a red mark left on her skin. Rea looked at you in shock but said nothing. She knew the signs, and what was about to follow. And frankly, she was not willing to intervene at all to save a thief’s hide.

The woman brought a hand to her burning cheek, eyes opened wide with fear as she looked at you, give the jewelry back to your sister who went to put them back in their place. You turned to face her again, your cousin’s whimpers heard no more, Vlad too, shocked at your actions. Dipper didn’t know whether to interfere or not. He was looking at the two women, the one you slapped and your sister, whom he only saw once the day before when he came to assure your parents that he’d bring you back home safely. Confusion rolled around in his mind, like a rollercoaster, only one thing being clear. If something happened to you, he was going to protect you.

Having recovered from the shock of being hit, Camelia opened her mouth, her face now even redder with both pain and fury, but before she could utter a word, you raised your hand again, and said.

“Don’t. You. Fucking. Dare. Bitch.”

Frightened by your tone and the threat, which was by no means fake, she closed her mouth and continued to stare at you, waiting for you to continue. You lowered your hand, but the fury was still there, boiling in your blood and coursing through your body like poison. You felt the Nightmare Bracelet getting warmer, but not enough to sting or tingle. It was gentle, carrying, a reminder that you were not alone, that they were with you, now and always. You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply, keeping it in for a second before exhaling. Yes. You had a precious family by your side. You were not alone.

“Give me back my bracelet.” you said, opening your eyes and looking at that woman.

“W-W-What b-bracelet?” she stuttered.

“Don’t play fool with me.” you replied, having a hard time keeping your voice under control. “The golden one, with dreamcatchers attached to it.”

“I…I don’t know! Why sho…”

“BECAUSE YOU STOLE IT!!’ you yelled, feeling your pulse go wild again.

“H-How dare you accuse me of being a thief?!” Camelia screamed back at you, her confidence slowly coming back.

“Then what were you doing with our stuff?” Rea asked, coming back out after placing the jewelries somewhere safe.

“Shut up, you bitch!”

Rea said nothing at the insult, her silence far scarier for whoever knew her as well as you did. She stepped closer to that woman, her hand beginning to raise. Just on a side note, she was much stronger than you. When she was about to slap that woman, you felt Dipper pull you away from there, both of you falling on the ground as your uncle’s hand passed through the air. Before you could process what happened, Patrick was already screaming at you and your sister, his wife cowering behind him. Your parents were coming behind him together with an employee, both of their faces red with anger.

“What did you think you were doing, you stupid idiots?! Is this how you were raised?! Cornering women and attacking them?! I’ve had it with you two! We invited you here thinking you…”

“Shut the fuck up! I caught that bitch of a wife of yours was trying to steal the gifts our great-grandmother gave us, and she stole my sister’s bracelet! You brought us here to be your fucking cash cows! We’re the ones who had enough of you!” Rea screamed, cutting Patrick off, while Dipper was helping you get up.

Your mother was next to you, demanding to know what happened, your father trying to calm down the other two, along with the employee. Dipper began to explain what was going on, you being too shocked to even speak. You were staring at Patrick, unable to recognize the man he became. He used to be much calmer, always the one to listen before taking decisions and accusing someone of a deed they might have not done. What happened to him?

“ENOUGH!”

Your father’s voice thundered through the hallway, reducing everyone to silence and forcing them to look at him.

“Now” he continued, looking around at everyone, “someone explain what the hell happened here.” he demanded, and your sister was the first to oblige.

“I came to get some sun lotion from my bag and found this bitch…”

“How dare you?!” Patrick yelled at her, interrupting her story and beginning to step towards her, only for your father to stop him.

“Rea watch your language. Continue now.”

“I found this…thing… trying to steal the jewelries our great-grandmother gave us.” Rea continued. “When I tried to stop her, she began yelling at me and tried to run away. That was when (Y/N) and Dipper showed up and… they began to argue.”

“Liars! Why would I steal those cheap trinkets anyway?! They’re worthless!” Camelia screamed, trying to defend herself, maintaining her innocence.

“That’s right! And that doesn’t explain at all the mark on her cheek.” Patrick spoke pointing to your handprint which began to fade away.

Your father looked at you and your sister, but neither said anything. Rea didn’t want to rat you out and you were grateful for that, but you didn’t have the courage to admit your action now either, knowing full well that all your credibility would be gone. Such is the injustice of life. You felt Dipper’s fingers brush against yours and looked at you. His expression was all you needed to see to know what would happen, blood freezing in your veins. No. No way. You couldn’t let him take the blame! When he opened his mouth to speak, you were ready to scream, admitting your guilt, but Vlad was faster than both of you.

“(Y/N) hit mom!”

You froze in place, both you and your friend looking at the boy, and then…the pain came. Next thing you knew, you were on floor, your cheek burning and tears streaming down your face, as Patrick and Dipper were screaming at each other, your mother by your side helping you up. Once more, the Nightmare bracelet was burning your skin, as you felt Grandpa’s rage flow through, but it wasn’t only that. You could sense it, a sadness, a disappointment deeper than the ocean.

You were lying on the side on Dipper’s bed, in the twin’s room, in the Mystery Shack, Mabel pressing a cold towel on your cheek, Bill and Will, now in human form talking with Ford and Stan in the kitchen downstairs. Your family was kicked out of the hotel for disturbing the peace along with your uncle, aunt and cousin. Besides ratting you out, Vlad also told Patrick that Camelia did indeed try to steal the silver watch, necklace and bracelet. That at least helped your situation a bit, but your feelings towards the boy were still as bitter as they could be. You didn’t think you could ever forgive him for what he did. His mother? Never. She was as good as dead to you.

After the truth came to light, your mother demanded your bracelet back and declared that on her part, she Patrick and his family were as good as dead to her, and your father was not far from taking the same decision. He had enough, but he was a family man, in his own twisted way and no matter how much someone stabbed him in the back, he always found the strength to forgive. Still, this time, at least he made his forgiveness conditional. If his brother wanted to have any relationship with him, they had to return the bracelet. They had one day at their disposal, before your parents were going to go to the police to make a statement. You said you had a witness, and thus, Will had to come as well, to declare what he saw. He agreed, happy to help. Now, he and the others were going over the details, to see what could be divulged to the police and what not. Dipper was gone with your family to help them find a room to stay for the rest of the week. Given your weak condition, your mother agreed to let you rest at the Mystery Shack and return later with Stan and Mabel, when you felt better.

The scent of chocolate filled your nostrils as Will entered the room carrying a tray with biscuits and two cups filled with the hot, brown substance. He set them on the desk near and looked at you then at Mabel.

“Are you ok, Miss Light?” he asked, shyly.

“Just Light is fine, Will. And yeah…I-I’m…somewhat…fine.” you said, trying to smile but failing.

“It’s going to be ok, (Y/N). You’ll see.” Mabel encouraged you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to believe her, despite wanting too.

Your eyes fell on the Nightmare bracelet, the color back to black, but the feelings still lingering. It wasn’t only about losing the Dream bracelet anymore. Grandpa’s feelings have also been hurt, more than yours. He treasured Vlad as one of his own, and though you were somewhat filled with a guilty pleasure, for having Grandpa all too yourself again, you couldn’t help but also feel bad for the loss. You passed the tips of your fingers across the still-warm surface, closing your eyes, submerging into a dreamless sleep.

When she slapped her, he was overjoyed, a sense of pride filling his chest as he saw his little girl stand up for herself and fight. When her fury was about to overflow, he called out to her, like a parent trying to calm their child, offering support and love. When she was betrayed and hit, he was enraged, bitter bile rushing to his mouth, his pain screaming. Now he was just staring at the realm he created, red hues fading and turning pale, flames that once burned so violently in their metal cages were now flickering like dying embers, but the release refused to come.

Grimm looked at his parent, the pain coursing through him as well, but he had no words to say. “It’s going to be fine.” was a lie that both were sick of hearing and the silence seemed to offer all the comfort words could not. He took a sit by his father’s side, the child, blissfully unaffected, sleeping in his arms, tiny arms wrapped around his neck. They sat in quiet, looking at the scenery, minds going over the past events, burdened by a sense of their own uselessness. “If only…” was a sentence they knew all too well, a poison that haunted them at night, every time they failed to provide aid to the girl they grew to love so much.

Outside, Radiance was trying to keep her anger in check, the bugs already fearful of her rage, the memories of her past fury still fresh in their minds. Pale King was no different, but he had the comforting embrace of his wife and children to keep him anchored to the ground and prevent him from losing it. For them, he had to stay strong, no matter how hard it was. An unexpected visit, a knock in the window of their room, yellow orbs staring through the glass, another reason to stay calm and not make any rash decision.


	51. Bonus Chapter

The sound of rain falling, water drops crashing against the pavement, umbrellas and glass was like a much welcome lullaby. The streets were crowded with bugs, all hurrying to reach their destinations, some enjoying the eternal wet weathers, taking a break from their rush now and then to look up from the safety of their umbrellas and inhale the fresh scent floating in the air, some, newcomers from the looks of it, were still had to get used to being poured on every day, clumsily walking straight into the pools of crystalline water, slashing themselves and those passing by. Guards were romancing around, stopping to help someone cross the street or to offer directions. Lumaflies lanterns were spreading their silver glow, tiny lights in the darkness of the massive cavern, like stars in the night sky.

Temptation was demanding, trying to drown the voice of common sense, and it did such a good job. Just for a minute, you wanted to toss the umbrella away and dance under the rain, let it soak your clothes, feel its cold touch on your skin, a small reward after a hard day at work. But the road was filled with bugs who just like you, just managed to get out from the hell called a job and were now hurrying to get back home, back to their places, to the families they so loved. An audience wouldn’t do. You sighed, trying to keep yourself under control and thinking about the cod apartment you were living in. Another night spent stuffing your face with cheap already made meals brought from the grocery store and watching TV, just to start it all over again. No. You were in the mood for something else. You stopped from your tracks and turned around, setting destination in the complete opposite direction of your apartment. It’s been a while since you saw them and today you got your pay too so what the heck?! You might as well indulge yourself a bit.

The building was…definitely something, with the screaming white face painted on the door, and the façade painted crimson. You peered inside through the large window in the front on which the letter “WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE GRIMM BAR” were written in black ink, in curly letters, a work only a certain someone could pull off…when he wasn’t drunk, but that was the charm of this place, wasn’t it? Back when you had time, you used to come here every night only to see what trouble he got himself into and hear about his reaction the next day. A delight like no other. Did you ever thank them for showing you the café? You thought so. Hm…maybe tomorrow you could visit them too. Yeah, that…oh! it doesn’t seem like you had too.

“Welcome to the…oh! It’s been a while since you’ve been here.” Brumm said, watching you enter the door and set your umbrella in the support next to the coat hanger. 

You smiled and headed to the bar, giving him and Ghost a warm greeting, as you too a sit next to the pale creature.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” you said, looking at the prince and then over the menu.

You ordered and your favorite drink and while Brumm was preparing it, you and Ghost chatted about what was going on in your lives. They were working with their sister and sibling at another café closer to where you lived as pretty much a jack-of-all-trades. You listened to them, eyes falling on the long horns, the slender figure and the way they were moving their hands to gesture each word and sound, the blue sweater, black pants and black coat they were wearing. They were so different from the child they used to be, so cute and curious, always running around and getting themselves into trouble. You recalled all the punishments you two were subjected to because of the things they did, and you helped in despite knowing the consequences because…well…you were dumb.

“Here’s your order.” Brumm said, placing the drink in front of you.

“Thank you. Hey, where’s Grimm?” you asked, looking around.

As if on cue, two arms wrapped around your and Ghost’s neck, Grimm’s head popping in between the two of you. You needed only one look at him to know what was going on. Dear Wyrm! He was already hammered. Time for the show and the lively song in the background fit the mood perfectly.

“Hello, my sweet darlings!” he cooed, cheeks blushing red. “(Y/N), you finally decided to drop by! And Ghost…” he paused examining the outfit of the prince. He whistled, a Cheshire smile on his lips. “Oh! Trying to swoop this lovely lady of her feet, are we?”

Ghost blushed and shook their head, but Grimm wasn’t listening. He let go of you two and began to dance around the tables, luckily, the place wasn’t full that day, and only regulars were there, bugs already used to the eccentric owner and just like you, enjoyed watching his theatrics every time he came out drunk. You followed Grimm’s dancing moves, feeling the desire from earlier returning to you in full force.

You got up and pulled Ghost after you, your intentions clear. They resisted at first, but gave in after you insisted, and joined you on the dance floor where Grimm was having the time of his life, the alcohol dictating his every move, making them clumsy, completely unlike his normal, sober persona, always classy and elegant. Still, you’d rather watch him dancing drunk like he was now. For once, he was laughing much more, smiling from ear to ear, his happiness a virus which spread to everyone. You and Ghost danced for half an hour, letting them spin you around and generally having a good time, months of not seeing each other melting away in only one night. Suddenly, you both heard a loud buff and turned to see Grimm face-first on the floor, a table fallen by near him, snoring. Yep. Another night ended. Not bad…maybe.

“Mrm…master…” you heard Brumm murmur as he passed by you to help the knocked-out bug.

You guessed that was your cue to go home and you haven’t even touched your drink. Well, there was always another time. You paid for the drink when Brumm returned after outing Grimm to sleep in the rooms upstairs, and Ghost offered to take you home, for old time’s sake. You accepted, eager to hear more about what the others were doing, and to spend more time with your childhood friend.

You walked in silence for a while, holding Ghost’s arm, your umbrella in their other hand, holding it so the rain wouldn’t touch you, but leaving their shoulder exposed to the small tears, his coat drenched in a matter of seconds. You told them several times to stop worrying about you and cover themselves better, but in vain. They refused to listen, still as stubborn as ever. You sighed, looking ahead, and then an idea popped into your mind. You let go of their arm and began to run, not giving them the chance to catch you and pull you back, under the pouring rain, letting it soak you in its cold embrace. As expected, Ghost was running after you, but you didn’t want to stop, adrenaline beginning to rush in your veins. This was too funny, at least for you. You ran from them, slipping through their fingers every time they were about to catch you. In the end, you reached your apartment building, water dripping of both your faces, the cold entering your bones, despite your cheeks burning from the effort, gasping for air. Ghost was staring at you, visibly mad about your latest stunt, their clothes now completely wet.

“Oh! Come on! It was fun!” you cooed, smiling as the water was flowing down your face.

They looked at you, dumbfounded. They recalled you being more responsible than this, but apparently, you changed in these months of not seeing each other. They sighed.

“Will you come to the café tomorrow?” they signed.

“Sure. Why not?” you answered.

You missed Pure, and it’s been a while since you saw Hornet too. There was no one waiting for you at home when you got out from work, no need to rush, no problems to solve. You could use that time to catch up with old friends. You both parted ways, after managing to convince Ghost to take the umbrella and use it. You had a few spares at home so no loses on your part. You watched them go, the euphoria fading away along with their silhouette, leaving nothing behind. You sighed and opened the main door of the building, climbing the stairs leaving to your home. For the first time, tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.


	52. Payback

She stared at the Victorian styled house, with flower pots decorating the entrance and bees flying around, unbothered by her presence. They were huge, some almost the size of an adult’s fist. What looked like a hive under construction was hanging on the branches of a nearby tree. She took a closer look at the flying insects, noticing something small and black riding on the back of some of them, but the bees kept their distance, preventing her from seeing clearly. Well, at least they weren’t stinging her. The owl flew away as soon as the house came into view, leaving her all alone. She wasn’t really worried. He was docile and obedient, aside from when (Y/N) had to leave never causing any trouble. Cecilia wasn’t sure if she had to be happy about this or not.

She looked at the house again, the short distance from her position to the front door seeming longer than it actually was, her feet refusing to move. Her body was shivering despite the warm day. For the nth time, doubts creeped into her mind, making her question her decision to come here. Her fingers touched the cold stone hanging on a chain around her neck, passing over the latticed, deformed surface, reminding herself that it was all real. What happened that day was not an illusion. Yet…she could still not believe it, but a nostalgic feeling in her chest pushed her to come here, a memory she could not recall anymore, but she felt like she needed to. A mistake from long ago, remorse left unsolved demanded to be laid to rest.

While she was pondering on whether to come in or not, the bugs were at the window, wondering about the stranger who was standing on the front yard, not moving at all. Everyone was startled by the owl’s sudden appearance, and were now at the windows, peering through curtains at the unexpected visitor. Monomon proposed calling James to let him know he had a guest, but White Lady argued against that. He told them he had an important meeting that day and would be unable to come home in case of an emergency. Phoning him was out of the question. The bug stared for a little longer at the woman, observing the bees’ behavior, Vespa, who was outside with her knight, coordinating the construction of the new hive, signaled them that everything was ok. That person did not seem to have any ill intentions towards the house. They had to deal with a burglar once. Poor man had been hospitalized for an entire month and James didn’t know how to explain to the police all the bite marks and stings and neither did the officers. It was passed off as an unfortunate accident.

Cecilia couldn’t stay there anymore. The pressure was too much. She didn’t have the courage to go on. Why did she come here anyway? She called the bird to her and as soon as he landed on her shoulder, she turned around and left, a whisper in her mind begging to turn back, but unable to. She ran away from the problem festering inside like an infected wound. She couldn’t do this. Not now. The past was too terrifying to face now. She ran, leaving it all behind, tears streaming down her face, the stone around her neck feeling heavier the farther she got. Another day spend in denial.

The moonlight peered in through the triangle shaped window, the night sky seen through the glass with its glimmering stars, so out of reach, unaware of the mortals below. Ominous shadows cast on the walls, send shivers down your spine. Mabel’s sleep talk and Dipper’s loud snores rang in your ears, the noise dancing with insomnia, keeping the sleep at bay.

You got up, carefully to not wake the twins up, gathered some clothes and got out, heading to the bathroom. You got changed and then went out into the cold night air, letting it brush your face. You walked towards the forest, inhaling the scent of the trees, and listening to the cicada’s singing, their melody making you miss the little ones at home. Your wandered for around an hour, eyes looking up at the sky, hands reaching out, fingers tracing invisible lines between the shining points. You spun around, dancing on the tune of a song only you could hear, pulling it out from a memory of the many dances you and Grandpa had shared. Suddenly…you stopped, the melody went silent in your ears, as you crashed on the ground, another wave of tears threatening to come out. Grandpa…Vlad…the events of the day began to unfold in your mind again, for the nth time, each detail screaming in your ears, each mistake coming back in full force. You shouldn’t have slapped that woman. Not that she didn’t deserve it, but you knew that once you did that nothing good would come out of it, yet you couldn’t think straight…but was that really an excuse? No…not really.

You laid on the soft grass, staring at the night sky, at the stars shining in the distance. They looked so beautiful up there. So…pure. You reached out a hand, drawing invisible lines from one glimmering point to another, patterns that you didn’t keep track of, a small distraction from the struggle inside, jealously fighting with guilt for dominance. Having to share Grandpa’s attention…it strangely didn’t bother you before, at least not until Vlad came along. Unlike you who had your weekdays free of the Higher Being’s presence, Nightmare King went to see him almost on a daily basis, and even brought him in yours. At first, you were ok with it. His mother was a colossal bitch. he needed a better role-model and there was no one more fit for it than Grandpa. You had James, Radiance and Pale King, the children, Kuro, Gertrude and so many others, but Vlad had only Nightmare King to care for him the way his family should. Yet…you weren’t satisfied, your heart painted black each time you saw the two laughing so happily with each other, your chest aching, averting your gaze and unable to stand that sight anymore. You knew why and though it was irrational, the fear kept festering in you like an untreated disease, growing stronger and stronger each time you refused to talk things out. You were frightened of being replaced, of them beginning to ignore you in favor of your cousin. You tried to deny that, you tried to tell yourself that it will never happen… but the fear persisted, doubt whispering in your ear every time you saw them together, reason drowned by lies and forgotten, like a book you lost and didn’t bother to look for.

Fear said: The children are playing with Vlad more now, than with you. They already don’t care anymore.

Reason tried to scream: But you spend nearly all the time with Shade!

You never heard it.

Fear pointed to Pale King and Radiance: They may care about you now, but soon, they too will love him more. They are already hiding things from you. Why would they do it, if they truly cared about you?

Reason from behind, struggling to make itself heard: They care! You never press the matters further anyway! Maybe if you did, they would tell you!

You couldn’t make sense of its words.

You turned on the side and brought your knees to your chest, trying to think things over, to find a way out of that mess, the strands of grass tickling your face, their cold touch giving birth to a yearning in your heart, one you couldn’t satisfy.

“Well, well, well. You look quite pitiful Light. I expected more from the granddaughter of the Nightmare King.”

You heard Bill speak and turned your head to look at him, as he approached in human form, a smug smile on his face, his eye focused on you.

“What do you want?” you asked, almost forcing the words out.

He didn’t reply right away, and instead took a seat on the ground besides you, now staring at the sky. His smile was…crooked, deformed somehow. He was hiding something.

You didn’t know much about him, apart from the fact that he was a dream demon who lost most of his abilities and was now trapped in the 3rd dimension and killed his time by pranking everybody. You weren’t sure what to think of him. You turned your gaze away, staring back at the sky, wishing the darkness could swallow the feelings you wish you didn’t have.

“Does your grandpa know that you sneak out at night and act all pathetic?” he said, looking at you again.

So he wanted to start a fight. Too bad for him, but now you weren’t in the mood for it.

“No, and I doubt he cares.” you said, biting your lips as soon as the last words left your mouth.

Reason and fear began to struggle once more.

“Oh! Family problems. Got ya.” he continued, his gleeful tone getting on your nerves.

“What do you want?” you asked.

“What? You’re the only one who’s allowed to be unable to sleep?”

“In that case, go somewhere else. This spot is taken.” you waved him off, like an annoying fly.

Unfortunately, that only seemed to make him want to irritate you more. You could feel his stare burning the back of your head.

“I can see that there’s something eating at you, Light.”

“If you want me to put you to sleep, I can do that, but I doubt you’ll wake up ever again.” you said, hoping the threat would make him shut up.

You didn’t want to speak about it.

Bill laughed, amused at your poor attempt to scare him. Oh! He might have lost his ability to enter one’s mind, but he could still see everything. And you were loud! He could sense the struggle, the pain it caused you, including the way you chose to deal with it, pushing it back into the back of your mind, trying to ignore the growing wound. To say he was delighted…would be an actual lie for he hated it. Every. Single. Second. Of. It. Maybe it was Will’s fault for him being the way he was now. His madness slowly faded, and sanity made its way back into his shattered mind. Guilt of his crime hanged heavier and heavier on his chest with each passing day. Lying was worthless, playing happy-go-lucky left his drained at the end of the day and he found himself cracking far more often lately. The pranks were a distraction, something to keep himself busy and not focus on the past dragging itself behind him, slowly catching up and ready to swallow him.

“Do not ignore it.” he found himself saying, but to who, he wasn’t sure. Was it to you? Or to his past self?

“Excuse me?” you asked, confused. What was he on about?

You turned to look at him, his merry façade nowhere to be seen, and instead, there was only a hurt and regretful look on his face. For the first time, since you knew him, he was serious. 

“It will only hurt you more if you ignore it. The sooner you deal with it, the better.” he continued, staring somewhere in the distance, his thoughts lost in times he could not return to. All because of his own doing.

Suddenly, he snapped out of it, unable to go on any longer. He got too close to it, much more than he ever did. He nearly let the truth of his own feelings come to the surface. He got up and headed to the shack, having said what he wanted to. It was up to you, whether or not you followed his advice.

You watched him leave, confused and not knowing what to think of his words. There was something beneath the façade he put on every day, and you felt like for a second, you could see him for who he really was, but you couldn’t be sure. Too tired to care or give it too much thought, you waited for him to disappear behind the doors and then got up and headed up as well, sleep finally deciding that it was time to pay you a visit as well. Before going up to the twins’ bedroom, you took off the Nightmare Bracelet and placed it on the kitchen table, hoping that it was far enough from you, to not let Grandpa come into your dreams. You couldn’t face him that night, not in your current state. Better wait it out, give time to your feelings to calm down…at least you hoped they wound.

Distance may not have been the solution. Reason argued that it wasn’t, but Fear screamed that it was, and so far, the later was in the lead.

“Ok. So, (Y/N), today we’re getting your bracelet back.” Grunkle Stan announced as soon as you and Dipper were done washing the dishes and Mabel finished preparing her Mable juice…the contents were a bit…. questionable, to say the least.

“Excuse me?” you asked, not sure if you heard him right.

You were still sleepy, your body numb from lying on the grass last night, the cold having seeped into your bones already.

“I don’t want to be mean (Y/N), since they are your family and all.” Stan continued, trying to choose his words carefully. “But that woman won’t return your bracelet without a fight. I think she’s up to something.”

“I know.” you answered bluntly.

Why beat around the bush? Or hang on to false hope? You were too tired and sick of the entire situation to try and think that there was a change for that woman to do the decent thing.

“Oh! Well…” your answer caught Stan off guard.

For him, family meant everything. He spend 30 years trying to get his brother back, fought against an army of zombies to protect his great-grandnephews and punched a pterodactyl in the face to recover Mabel’s pig. To see you so cold at the truth put before you. It broke something inside him. And it wasn’t only your reaction that concerned him. He found your bracelet that morning, on the kitchen table, and even when he pointed it out to you, you seemed reluctant to put it on. Something happened and the effects it had on you were more than obvious. Dipper was worried as well, but he didn’t know what to say or how to even bring it up, fearing not to make it worse. Mabel tried not to butt in, leaving it all on her brother’s shoulders, he liked you, this was the perfect moment to deepen your relationship, but his silence made it hard for her not to smack him. Everyone was worried, and they could only hope that this scheme would make you feel better.

“Since, she’s not going to make it any easier for us, let’s have a little fun with this and teach her a lesson in the meantime. Right, Light?” Bill yelled, appearing into the kitchen, still in human form.

You looked at him, unknowingly searching for the signs of the face he showed you last night, that raw emotion and seriousness. But none was there. He was back to his merry persona, as if what happened just a few hours ago never took place.

“So, what do you have in mind?” you asked.

Bill grinned widely, more than eager to share his latest masterplan, his eyes shining with mischief. This was going to be his greatest prank so far!

Camelia stared at the bracelet again, still angry that she couldn’t pawn it. For some reason, the shop owner denied her request and that AFTER admitting to her face that the thing was worth 1000 bucks, given the fine material, the craft and the diamonds. He said it was because she was not a resident of USA, but the woman couldn’t trust his words. Deep down, she feared the (L/N) family already went to the police and declared the theft, even though yesterday they promised to do that only if she refused to return it the next day and by day, she meant the father. Sebastian seemed so soft, so naïve and easy to manipulate. He made the most money out of all his siblings and could easily be swayed to give her family some now and then. The soft glow of the gold caught her attention once more. Such a pretty piece of jewelry. If only she could take it back to Transylvania and pawn it off there, the money was sure to be good, but she couldn’t. Getting arrested was not on her to-do list, especially for something she could gain nothing from. If only her son kept his mouth shut, than this wouldn’t have happened. Why did he have to speak anyway? It was good when he ratted out his cousin, but when he told on her as well, she became enraged. But was he the subject of her fury? Far from that. He was her child; he couldn’t have betrayed her on his own. That bitch definitely had to do something with this. She was the only one to blame for her son turning against her. She wanted her bracelet back? Fine. She will have it! Camelia recalled having seen something like a pit, near the shack. She will toss the darned thing in there, right in front of that witch and enjoy seeing the look of despair on her face as she watched the jewelry disappear. Oh! She just lived for that moment!

The bus finally arrived, and she got off, not happy at all to have to return to this God-forsaken town. Ugh! She should have been in the city, having fun with her husband and family but no! Patrick had to force her to come here and return that darned bracelet. Why did she have to come alone anyway?! He could have tagged along at least! Frowning, she began to head towards the shack, fingers wrapped around the golden band waiting eagerly for he moment when they would release it into the pit, a strange feeling of being watched creeped up on her, the moment she stepped foot on the path through the forest. A crow’s croak made her jump and cuss the bird out, before resuming her journey. Suddenly, something moved in the bushes near her, making her stop in her tracks and stare at it, fear taking hold of her, only for her to quickly wave it off and stomp angrily towards it to scare off whatever pest was hiding among the bundle of branches and leaves. In an instant, she spread them apart, ready to let out a loud screech, only for it to get stuck in her throat at the sight before her.

The multibear stared at her for a good few seconds before lifting his enormous body, towering over her and let out a roar that echoed through the entire forest, the signal the others were waiting for. Frightened, Camelia dropped the bracelet and ran off in the opposite direction, deeper into the forest, screaming her head off. Part 1 of the prank: success!

The gnomes waited until they heard the loud pitched cry of help and then they got in their places. As soon as she got close, two of them pulled up a rope, making her stumble and roll down a small hill, the path filled with pine needles that the small creatures made sure to sharpen well, some cutting, others remaining buried into her skin as her body rolled over them and other foul smelling remains of mushrooms and other disgusting things that shall not be named nor disclosed at to how Bill got his hands on them. The only thing made know is the fact that he was still lying in a bath of tomato juice, waiting for the stench to clear off.

At the base of the small hill, where she stopped, she got up, the foul smell filling her nostrils and her exposed skin looking as if she just hugged a cactus. She tried to walk away, her whole body aching rom the pain, and scared out of her wits, when she stepped on another string, releasing a rain of mud and mire from above, covering her from head to toe in brown matter. She began to cuss anything from the sky to the earth and everything else that came to mind. Suddenly, her rant of profanities ended when another pile of mud appeared from the bushes near her. She stared in terror at the creature covered in dirt, as it clasped her hands together and let out a happy, loud coo.

“Finally! My last boyfriend ran off, but I finally found someone new! Come here darling! Let us live a happy life together!” she said and approached the terrified woman.

Without another word, Camelia turned on her heels and ran away, all the pain and numbness suddenly gone as she ran for her life.

You were on the ground, laughing together with the Pines, Will, the multibear and some gnomes. In all honestly, everyone feared that Bill’s prank would be worse, but this…this was gold! Dipper was pleased to see you happy, all his worries washing away the more he heard that clear, excited sound that came from you. You were all watching the events unfold from the safety and comfort of the shack, thanks to Will’s powers. The Dream Bracelet rested on your wrist along with the Nightmare One, recovered by the multibear after Camelia dropped it off.

“That was amazing!” you said at night, after returning back to the shack at noon.

You went to the hotel to tell your parents that the bracelet had been returned. Your mother was glad, though she had wished to file a police report. Your father was relieved, now that this whole mess was over. Your sister were quick to inform you and the others that a group of tourists found Camelia, all dirty and covered in manure, mumbling something about a moving pile of poop. Nobody said anything, your mother simply asking you where you found the bracelet at which you answered.

“I found it on the grass near the shack. Mr. Stanford said that there began to appear bears in the vicinity lately. Maybe she saw one and got scared.”

Your mother accepted that and questioned you no more. She only regretted not being there to see that woman when she was found. Secretly, your father wished that too, but he kept quiet as he didn’t want another fight to break out. He had enough of those.

After dinner, you went back to the shack, and were now walking with Dipper through the forest, telling him about your uncle’s reaction when he came to retrieve his wife. You were there, forced by your father, since this was a family issue, thus you all had to deal with it. Vlad was there too, his gaze fixated into the ground, not wanting to see you. Which was good. Because you couldn’t bear to look at him either. The meeting was short, your father and uncle doing most of the talking as they tried to get Camelia into the rented car, Patrick brought to get his wife home as the bus driver refused to let her get on.

“I’m glad you liked it. That woman finally got what she deserved.” Dipper commented, continuing to walk through the sea of trees.

Now that the whole bracelet business was taken care of, he could finally show you all the wonders Gravity Falls had to offer. He couldn’t wait!

“Well, now we can spend more time together without any interference. I remember Grunkle Ford saying something about a cave full with dinosaurs. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning?” you said, as if reading his thoughts, holding a fist in the air, waiting.

“Sure thing!” Dipper agreed, touching his fist with yours.

“Still” you continued, letting your thoughts be known. “How did Bill know about that mud creature?”

“Beats me, but I’m glad he did. Though I feel bad for the thing. Imagine if she managed to get her hands on your aunt. Oh! Poor creature didn’t know what would have hit her.”

“Oh, my! Yeah! Poor thing!” you laughed, picturing the creature being bossed around by Camelia.

After an hour or so of walking and chatting, making plans for the next adventure, filling the week with as much stuff as you could, Dipper led you back to the hotel, before he headed back to the shack.

Once more, you took your bracelets off and placed them on the kitchen table before bed and threw yourself in the embrace of a dreamless sleep.

_“Hey (Y/N). You’re my only friend, you know.”_


	53. Miles away

It's been nearly a week since summer holiday started, for some, time passing slowly as if the strands of sand in the hourglass forgot to fall, thus days passes hardly at all. The heat didn’t make things any better either, the sun leaving the people below desperate for shade and praying to God for a breeze to alleviate the burning of their skin. Ice cream was selling like warm bread and the restaurants were packed full with teenagers who had yet to leave to the sea and enjoy the waters and crowded beach.

Henry was bored, all of his friends busy with either their girlfriends or partying it up all night, until the morning hours of the day, leaving them nothing but mindless zombies crashed on the couch of their family’s living room. The boy would have joined them were it not for the punishment he was under, thus he could only hear what happened, unable to take part in it himself.

He was taking a walk through the small town, trying to find anything to keep himself busy and escape the clutches of boredom. He reached the museum when his pleas were answered, in the form of a clumsy man carrying large boxes, and having a hard time keeping his balance, walking backwards out of the building, his face concealed by the load in his arms.

“WHOA! Look where you’re going!” Henry shouted after a box nearly fell on him.

“Sorry. Sorry.” James answered, turning to face the one who spoke to him. “Oh. It’s you, Henry. Care to lend a hand?”

Henry looked at (Y/N)’s uncle and then back to the boxed he was holding and sighed. He didn’t have anything else to do anyway.

“Sure. You’re going home?”

“Yes and thank you.”

After Henry took some of the boxes, the two men began to walk towards the periphery of the town, making small talk on the way there.

“So, how is summer holiday?” James asked, not really knowing what else to talk about but anything would have been better than the silence threatening.

“Boring so far.” Henry answered without much enthusiasm.

“Is that so? What’s wrong with this summer? Everyone seems to be having a bad time. You, (Y/N), the bugs.”

“Did something happen to (Y/N)?”

Cold shivers ran down Henry’s back when he heard her name. That girl always had a way of getting herself into trouble as if she was a magnet for them. The memory of her lying on that platform, blood pouring from an open wound came back to him, making his stomach huddle, the bitter taste of bile in his mouth as his nostrils felt the metallic scent of blood just like that day. An image that will haunt him to his grave for sure.

“She’s…well, I’m not sure. Her family is in America right now and well… we’re not exactly keeping in touch.” James replied not entirely sure about the situation.

He knew (Y/N) began to put distance between her and the Higher Beings, taking off her bracelets and denying them access to her dreams. At first, he thought it was only the guilt of having the Dream Bracelet stolen from under her nose, but it looked as if there was more to it. Something wrong was going on, and it pained him that he couldn’t understand what and offer help.

Henry said nothing for a while, knowing full well that nobody in (Y/N)’s family knew about James’ relationship with the supernatural, considering him an outcast and preferring to keep their distance. He often wondered if she was aware that if she were to continue walking on the same path as him, she would suffer the same fate, isolated and badmouthed by those who shared her own blood. He was eager to talk to her about it, because in his own mind he couldn’t understand this. Was the supernatural really worth the price it asked for? To be considered the black sheep of your own family and shunned by them? He didn’t think so.

The two reached the mansion, welcomed by Vespa, her bees and Pale King with his children who were playing in the grass, Hornet being the leader and giving out instructions. The Wyrm was surprised to see Henry, as the bugs were not exactly keen on his presence. They tolerated him, of course, but the past was not something they could easily forget. Just as some insects were still on guard around Radiance and preferred to keep their distance so were the Higher Beings when it came to the boy who used to torment their beloved daughter.

“James. I see we have a visitor today.” the King said, examining the teenager.

“Yes, your Highness. I would have announced you were I to know before hand, but unfortunately, I didn’t.” James excused himself, bowing his head in apology.

“No need for excuses, my friend.” the Wyrm was quick to answer.

Lately, he was bothered by the man’s politeness around him. He and his subjects owned him so much after all. It didn’t sit well with the Higher Being to see one who saved them from certain death and offered his own home as shelter to act so humble in his presence. He wished James was more relaxed, more like himself…ok, not too much like himself, since he saw exactly how clumsy the man could get, but nevertheless, he desired their relationship was more like that of an equal to an equal, not a king to a servant.

“Well…” Henry intervened, sensing that he wasn’t exactly welcome.

It felt awkward to be here without (Y/N).

“Where should I put these?” he continued, motioning to the boxes in his hands.

“Oh, those. You can leave them here on the porch, please. Thank you for your help, Henry. Anything I can offer you before you leave?” James said, placing the boxes he was carrying down as well. 

“No. I’m good. Well, I’ll be going now. Have a good day.” the boy replied and turned to leave when

“Wait!” a voice called from behind him.

Henry turned around to see the Moth flying out the door in his direction, much to his surprise of him and the others present. Since he came here, Radiance never really talked to him, keeping her distance and giving him looks of pity. She knew how it felt to make a mistake and try to redeem yourself, but she pain caused to her daughter still prevented her from showing any warmth to the boy, no matter how much she tried. At least, she wasn’t skewering him with her swords. That was something. However, now she needed his help.

“What is it?” the boy asked.

The Moth inhaled deeply before speaking, her mind arguing pro and against what she was about to do, but her heart ached too much to listen to it. (Y/N)’s well-being came before her own restrains.

“You” she began choosing her words carefully. “You know my daughter longer than anyone else here.” the truth was painful to admit, but there was no other way. “tell me, did she ever act cold all of the sudden towards someone she held dear?”

Both James and Pale King perched up, hearing her words, but made no sound. They understood her intentions, her fears and desire to know what was going on for the same fire burned inside them as well. If Henry could provide answers, which they doubted but trying never hurt, then it would all but make things easier on them.

The boy scratched the back of his head, not sure what to answer. Indeed, he knew (Y/N) since a long time, but they rarely talked, outside of bullying, a deed he was ashamed of now. He barely even paid attention to her, given how odd she was at school, head always buried in books or listening to music and drawing, hardly interacting with anyone other than…oh. yes, there was that person.

“(Y/N)” he began hoping that his answer would not prompt the bugs to attack him, but sugar-coating his words was never his forte. “was never a team-player if you get what I mean. She was always by herself and hardly ever interacted with anyone, besides Jennie, but…”

“But?” Radiance asked, sensing a glimmer of the answer she searched for day and night finally reveal itself.

“Their…friendship…it was so odd…I don’t know how to explain it since I was only a witness, but… one minute they were together, laughing, next, it was as if they didn’t even know each other.”

“Alright. Thank you.” Radiance said, her voice faint, the truth having slipped through her wings.

Jennie. A friendship that was not exactly a friendship. Could that be the reason? Ugh! Only more questions surfaced with no chance for an answer.

“Sorry I couldn’t help more. See y’all later.” Henry said and left, this time no one making an effort to stop him.

On his way back, he noticed a woman, all dressed in black from head to toe and with a black bird on her shoulder. He tried calling out to her, but she disappeared before he got the chance. He stood there, dumbfounded, before he shrugged and speeded up, trying to convince himself that that was an actual person, not a ghost. That was the last thing he needed now. To be haunted by a spirit.

Again, she ran away, unable to talk, unable to face it. Oh! The stone hang heavy around her neck, the fear, the eyes staring at her from the shadow. Kuro sensed her distress, but he couldn’t see it, the monster watching from the darkness, its huge head following her every move, long fingers creeping closer and closer. What did it want? Cecilia couldn’t tell. It didn’t try to harm her, nor anyone else. It only watched, observed the woman, the fear growing inside her. Ignore it. Don’t pay it any mind. Cecilia closed her eyes again. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t.


	54. Amygdala

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amygdala belongs to Bloodborne which in turn belongs to FromSoftware. All credit goes to them for creatung such an interesting character. Also, like in Moder's case, leave it to me to take a scary character and turn it into a softie. So, yeah. Have fun!

“So, I guess this is it.” Dipper said, looking at the planes departing through the window wall, as he sat next to you on the seats, waiting for the one that would take you home to arrive.

Will and Mabel were there too, ready to say their goodbye, both crying their eyes out and hugging you tight. You were patting their backs with each hand, grateful that Dipper was more mature about this. You didn’t know if you could handle three crying teenagers at once. You sisters were giving you odd looks, you mother glad that you managed to make such good friends and your father glaring at the Pine boy, the same expression Grandpa and Pale King had when they heard about him and your friendship. You couldn’t quite place it nor understand it, and frankly you tried not to care. You wanted this last meeting to be happy, not sad. You began to like Dipper, his sense of adventure, the way he made you laugh and how he searched for the greatest things to explore. He was also easy to talk to, and there was something about him that always made you smile. To part ways now…it really felt sad for you too.

“Yeah.” you replied, looking at the floor. “Will you call me? If you can, I mean.”

“Of course. And if you ever find yourself in California be sure to call me. I have plenty of places to show you.” Dipper responded, smiling.

“Same if you ever find yourself in Transylvania.”

The plane arrived, you had to go. A kiss on the cheek, a goodbye you couldn’t say out loud, for you feared it would be the last, a slight warmth coming from the bracelets on your wrist.

Dipper watched you disappear, his hand still covering the warm spot on his face where her lips touched his skin, a strong blush taking over. He couldn’t say anything, words stuck in his throat as emotions filled his heart. Mabel was gasping aloud next to him, one more minute and she would explode in a cry of joy. Will too. The Dream Demon was glad to see that his friend managed to get a kiss from the girl he liked. Ah! If only she could have stayed a little more.

You were sitting beside Vlad, staring out the window as your cousin was playing with May, Patrick and his wife behind you, your mother, father and sister in front, neither party willing to talk to each other, blood not enough to wash the transpired events. He dared not look at you, and you could guess why. Your eyes shifted from the sea to the bracelets, gold and black being still, giving out no emotions from the Higher Beings. They felt so heavy now. Slowly, you removed them, and slid them in your cousin’s lap. Vlad looked at you and then at the bracelets, his eyes begging the answer you didn’t know yourself.

You smiled, faintly, but you had no strength for more.

“He wants to speak with you.” you said, a half-truth that he made clear ever since the beginning of the day.

He demanded both of you present, but you had no power to face him. You could tell what he wanted to speak about, the questions about to ensue, and you weren’t ready. Vlad accepted your invitation, a genuine smile unfolding on his face, together with a silent “tank you.” He put the bracelets on, then fell into a deep sleep, to see the one he missed so. You returned your focus towards the window and the ocean of white clouds, your eyelids becoming heavy as you did so. Ah! He was not one to give up easy, but neither were you. You called over the flight assistant and asked for a coffee, and a soda. She smiled and complied, returning soon with your drinks. You thanked her and drank them quickly, letting the caffeine and sugar take effect, just in time for you felt your mind drift away, answering his call, only for it to fade away as your blood carried the substances through your body. Good thing you didn’t ask for RedBull.

To say he was disappointed would have been a lie. He was hurt beyond what words could describe, her coldness cutting like a sharp knife. Just what was going on? He could feel another flame sparkle inside of her, another memory, another fear taking over. On a different occasion, he would have been overjoyed, but now it only pained him. Then there was that… insufferable, hateful … kiss! She KISSED that Dipper guy! That… JERK… received a kiss from his granddaughter!! When it happened, the King was ready to jump and tear the boy apart but if he were to do that, he feared that she would come to hate him. But she was only a child! For her to have a boyfriend now… no, no, no, no, no, no, no, it never happened, no, he just imagined it, definitely, absolutely, it never EVER took place! Fury was boiling inside him whenever that scene played before his eyes like an annoying mosquito that didn’t want to go away. But he couldn’t let it show, not now when Vlad was around, clinging to his warmth.

“Are you mad at me?” the boy asked, lifting his eyes to meet those of the king.

“Of course not. Why would I be?” Nightmare King replied, patting the child’s head. tilting his own at the oddity of the question.

“Because I’m the reason (Y/N) got hit.” Vlad answered, lowering his head in shame.

“It wasn’t your fault, my dear. You had no blame in that.” The Scarlet Monarch replied, tightening the hug.

The boy said nothing, burying his head in Grandpa’s chest as tears rolled down his face, a heavy burden lifted of his chest. The two stood there, among the crimson view, recovering all the time lost, in that short time they had on their hands, before the plane arrived and the child was home once more. 

The sound of the engine dying in the driveway was the signal Kuro was waiting all day long. He wasted no time in flying out the door as soon as Cecilia opened it, lunging straight into your arms, nearly knocking you down, his head nuzzling on your cheek. You embraced him warmly, having missed him so much.

“Looks like someone missed you a lot.” your mother said, looking at the two of you.

“I missed him too.” you replied, pressing your lips atop of his head.

“I believe he behaved while we were gone.” your father said looking at Cecilia who was standing in the doorway, hands wrapped around her small frame as if to keep herself warm.

“Indeed. I never seen such a well-behaved pet. He was a pleasure to look after.” the woman said as she made room for the family to enter, her eyes fixated somewhere in the distance, so intense, as if they wanted to peer through.

You were the only one to notice that and followed her gaze to where it was pointed at, but saw nothing, yet the Nightmare Bracelet burned slightly as he sensed another presence nearby. One that unsettled him greatly. It expressed no malice or ill intent, yet it was much closer to…him. A being of Nightmare, of power almost equal to his, maybe even greater. Just what had this child gotten herself into again?

Cecilia saw it tilt its head, in what appeared to be confusion or amazement, but other than that, it made no movement. It just sat there, yellow eyes watching like they always did, sitting behind the gate, it never came in, it never tried to get any closer. Was it because it knew she feared it? She couldn’t tell, but she felt a bit more comfortable now with it, having gotten use to its presence. But the fear was still there, for she still dreaded the day when watching wouldn’t be enough for it. Still, a tiny voice in the back of her mind whispered gentle encouragement to her:

“It saved your life. It can’t be that bad.”

Yes. How could she forget? The trip, the city on the border of a chasm, the missing child, how she went to look for him, only for her step to slip and she nearly fell to her death, when it caught her and led her to safety, before it left leaving behind only the stone now tied around her neck. When it appeared the first time, she tried to get rid of it, but that was easier said than done. The rock always returned, as if pulled by an invisible force back to her. Thus she was stuck with it along with that spider like creature.

“Something wrong, auntie?” you asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Oh! No, my dear. It’s all good. Let’s go in. I want to know how your trip in America was. Meet any cute boys?” Cecilia asked, displaying a smile.

She giggled seeing the blush on your face, not really expecting to have been so on point. Oh. She definitely had to hear about it.

The night came so quickly, nobody was sure the day even happened were they not in their beds, tired after a day of unpacking and getting comfortable again. You couldn’t sleep, the caffeine still kicking in hard, chasing your sleep away. Well, that was a plan that backfired. Kuro was snuggled by your side, deep in slumber. You watched him for a while, brushing your fingers against his feathers, watching the moonlight fall upon his frame through the opened curtains, making the ends shine as if under a spell. Too bad your phone was out of reach or else you would have snapped a picture of him and send it to Dipper and Mabel. You made sure to phone him before going to bed, letting him know how the day went and asking about his. Hearing his voice made you feel happy, the merry tone in which he talked, listening to Mabel and Bill in the background trying to disturb him and yelling all that silly stuff, like him being in love with you. As if. Your mind flew back to the kiss, a light blush running across your face. You still didn’t understand fully why you did that. It just…you just felt like that was the right thing to do at that time. You had too much to say, too many words to tell but not enough time. You... couldn’t exactly say that you were regretting it, your heart beating faster whenever you thought about it, about Dipper’s smile and the way he laughed, how he talked with so much enthusiasm about the adventures he was planning, about the supernatural. You couldn’t stop smiling when you recalled the walks through the forest, sometimes silent yet so comfortable, other times interrupted by Bill’s pranks and ended up with you two chasing him and trying to return the favor. You thought of the item he gave you the night before you had to leave, the flashlight with a crystal that had the ability to shrink or enlarge everything that the light passing through touched. You knew the children would love it, maybe even fight over it, and secretly thought that that was the reason why he gave it to you. You hugged him, feeling bad that you had nothing to offer in return. Oh! Why did the trip had to end so soon?

The sound of the front door opening caught your attention. Why would anyone go out at such a late hour? Pushed by curiosity, you got out of bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping baby, too bad he woke up anyway. He stared at you tilting his head in question. You placed a finger on your lips and wrapped your arms around him, pulling him close to your chest while you descended to the floor and sneaked out to see what was going on. You tiptoed your way to the front door, opening it slowly to not wake up the rest of the house and got out, the pavement in front of the entrance feeling freezing cold underneath your naked feet, but it was too dark inside to look for shoes and you were already out so no turning back there. You had to bite your tongue and endure it. You stepped farther into the night, the air still warm and dry from the day, your eyes getting adjusted to the darkness. You soon were able to distinguish your surroundings and noticed Cecilia’s figure standing at the gate looking at something. She didn’t move at all, but you couldn’t see at all what she was staring at.

She couldn’t sleep, her mind too troubled to rest. She needed fresh air, the one inside her room, much too dry, despite opening all the windows, a walk welcomed as well. Now, she was staring at the creature that was still there, always observing her, pale moonlight shining upon its skeletal figure, contouring its spider-like appearance, the 7 arms and 2 legs, each hand having 6 fingers. It looked deformed, its hunched back, the head alike the stone it left behind, save for the tentacles that began where the mouth should be, yellow orbs fixed on the small woman before it. It never did anything to her, only follow and watch.

“Auntie? Is everything ok?”

Cecilia turned around to look at you, approaching her with Kuro in your arms.

“Oh, (Y/N)! Did I wake you up?” she asked, feeling the creature’s stare shift from her to you.

“I couldn’t sleep, and I heard you come out. Sorry for snooping.” you said, looking past your aunt, trying to find what she had been staring at, but all you could see were the iron gate, the tall fences of the neighbors’ houses and the empty road.

Yet the Nightmare Bracelet was still warm, red glowing faintly through the darkness, his worries reaching through.

“Don’t worry about it…I…I think I’m going back to bed and…” Cecilia said trying to excuse herself.

She didn’t want to, could drag you into it.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

She looked at you, taken by surprise by your question. As if on cue, the creature moved to make way for both of you. Cecilia looked at it and then back to you.

“A…a walk would be nice.” she said, nearly whispering.

The grass tingled your bare feet, small stones pressing sharply against the naked skin, like needles. Kuro was soaring through the sky, now fully awake from the fresh air. Your eyes were following his figure, wondering how it must be to look at the world from above, to just spread your wings and take off, unshackled by anything.

Cecilia was wondering the same thing too, looking at the bird and reaching out a hand, as if to catch it. The two of you have been walking in silence so far, the creature following behind at a distance that wouldn’t be too uncomfortable for your aunt. She was touched by the level of consideration it showed her. The more time passed, the more she began to warm up to it. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

“The night is beautiful, isn’t it?” you said, shifting your eyes from Kuro to your aunt.

“Yes, indeed.” Cecilia replied, looking at the sky painted with stars and the owl cutting through the scenery. “Watching him is a delight as well.”

“I know, right?” you smiled, glad to be in the company of someone who likes the bird as much as you did.

Your aunt returned your smile and continued to walk, her mind constantly returning to the monster behind.

You two reached a small river, the moonlight falling on the stone lying on the grounds bellow. Cecilia and you decided to sit on the shore and let your feet soak in the cold liquid. As you two stood there, the creature rested on the field around, long fingers playing with the rocks below. You noticed your aunt staring at something near you, but again, you couldn’t see it.

“Auntie, what are you looking at?” you asked her.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” she replied in a rushed tone.

“Is it a monster?” you asked, mostly as a jest.

Suddenly, Camelia’s face turned pale, fear taking over as she stared at you. She opened her mouth to speak, only to close it again, the words stuck in her throat.

“Auntie is that for real?” you asked again, your expression sterner now.

“C-Can you see it?” she whispered afraid to not catch the monster’s attention.

But it was too late. The spider-like being’s gaze was already fixated on you. It seemed curious, reaching out one of its long hands to touch you. Cecilia wanted to scream, but dread took away her voice once more. Her fright did not escape you. You stared back at where the monster would be, your eyes still unable to see it, but you could feel a cold thing wrapping around a strand of your hair and pull on it gently, in a playful way.

Well, this was a better start then when you met Moder.

“Hi. I’m (Y/N). Nice to meet you. Care to show yourself?” you said, having hopes about this creature.

Cecilia stared at you in shock and then quickly glanced at the creature, the same expression on its face. To have someone approach it so casually. It almost made it laugh, the woman hearing a soft purr coming from it. Once again, it extended its long arm towards the stone around Cecilia’s neck, only pointing at it and nodding. She understood the meaning of its gesture, and although she hesitated greatly, she reached out to it and undid the threat holding the stone, extending it to you. You touched it, and suddenly, it was as if a veil was lifted from your eyes, finally able to see the creature that’s been hunting your aunt for the past days. In all honesty, you’ve had your fair share of monsters this year, from small and adorable to huge and scary. This one definitely fit in with the later, its yellow eyes looking at you, expecting.

Cecelia was trembling beside you, regretting her decision of letting you see it. What if it hurt you? What if it…

“Wow! You’re big.” you said, still as nonchalantly as ever.

Both monster and human stared at you, flabbergasted, an awkward silence settling in between the three, interrupted only by Kuro who landed on your shoulder, tired after constant flight.

You turned to look at him, his weight feeling heavier than before.

“And you need to go on a diet.”

The owl gave you a look of disbelief as if you insulted his great ancestors. To propose that he had gotten fat…was actually pretty accurate, he couldn’t deny it, but still!

“Oh, come on! It’s not going to be that bad, though I agree diets suck.” you continued, ruffling Kuro’s feathers a bit.

The creature snickered at your comment, but it was a loud, rough sound, that would confuse anyone that heard it mistaking it for an angry groan, your aunt included. However, you spend enough time around Moder to know the difference.

“Just hold him, if you don’t trust me.” you said extending your arm, towards the monster so that Kuro could travel easier between you two.

Just as it was about to take you up on the offer, Cecilia regained her voice and began to speak, her initial shock at your reaction finally wearing off.

“W-Wait a minute!”

“What is it, auntie?” you asked, the bird stopping halfway on your arm.

“What do you mean what is it?! Aren’t you afraid of it?!” she said, gesturing to the spider-like creature.

Both you and it looked at each other and then tilted your head in confusion.

“No…. I mean, I understand your point, I was frightened at first too, but you get used to them after a while.” you said, watching as Cecilia’s expression only grew more in terror.

“What do you mean you get used to them?! You’ve seen these creatures before?!”

“Not like it exactly, but I did meet other monsters, I…” you stopped midsentence, the rest stuck in your throat.

You were about to reveal the truth of your adoptive parents, bugs with powers beyond nature, but suddenly, a truth that once made you smile, now feeling like a lie that even you had problems believing it. The creature sensed your struggle, placing a hand, gently on your back in a sign of encouragement, for it was aware of the feelings, the fight between reason and fear with the later winning more ground each passing day. And it could help, if only you were willing to let it, but with no speech that could be understood by those sane of mind, it could not make its intentions clear. Ah! But there was that solution, unpleasant indeed, but it was its only option for now.

You watched the creature grabbed a handful of dirt from nearby and clutched it tight. All of the sudden, you could hear a maniacal laugher coming from the pile and when it released its hold, you saw the source of it. On its palm, sat a huge, black spider the size of a large dog, with a bald, human head, arrogant eyes staring back at you.

“Oh, Lord Amygdala! What honor to be called upon by you. What service, may I, Patches the Spider, provide to you?” he said, eyes now stuck on the monster.

It began to speak, its words you couldn’t understand, but judging from Patches’ expression, it meant no harm. Cecilia was still trembling by your side, wishing to get up and run, but her feet refused to listen, reminding stuck in their place, the water from the river still soaking her skin. You placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down, Kuro jumping in her lap and nuzzling his head on her chest to offer comfort.

“It’s alright. If it wanted to harm us, it would have done so already.” you reassured her, your answer followed by a snicker from the black spider.

“Oh, indeed. Lord Amygdala wishes no harm upon you two, for now at least.” he said, making your aunt tremble even more.

Amygdala noticed it and let out an angry roar for real this time, not pleased with Patches’ little joke. The spider apologized in a hurry, afraid to invoke his lord’s wrath. He turned back to you and your aunt; his tone much humbler now.

“It appears, my lord, has taken a liking to you two and wishes to offer aid. If you two would be willing to accept it, of course.”

You looked at Patches and then at Amygdala, trying to look for the meaning possibly hidden behind its words. Bill warned you about deals and how to detect the catch. He even encouraged you to ask directly, as it showed the other party that you were not someone who could be fooled easily.

“What’s the catch? You don’t want me to believe that it’s doing this out of the goodness of its heart. No offense big guy, but I had to deal with a Norse Deity which was offering comfort in exchange for worship and I’m not really up to be swapped in some cult, or anything else. Hope you can understand.” you said, stepping forward, your hand still on the stone so you could see the creature.

Amygdala let out a sound of understanding and looked at Patches, saying something again, in the same language that you couldn’t comprehend. The spider listened, nodding now and then, but giving little else clues about what the monster could be talking about.

“My lord is not offended by your caution. It is rather pleased. Very few are so careful when dealing with the Great Ones. They often are too eager to jump on the occasion to care about the implications. There is no catch, Miss. Consider this Lord Amygdala’s way of thanking you. Not only did your aunt awaken it from its long slumber, but you too, have been nothing but kind to it ever since you saw him.”

“But I only saw it today, a few minutes ago.” you said confused.

“Yes. And you were the kindest anyone has ever been. So? What would it be?” Patches replied, looking at you and your aunt, expecting.

You stared at Amygdala, its eyes focused on you, Cecilia still trembling behind you, Kuro now perched on her shoulder. She was scared out of her wits, and one of her hands was clutching yours with enough strength to hurt.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to excuse ourselves. It’s late and decisions shouldn’t be taken when one’s mind is clouded by the desire to sleep. It’s been a pleasure, Lord Amygdala, sir Patches.” you said and bowed politely, putting the manners Grandpa taught you.

Your heart ache thinking about him, longing threatening to settle in. Ah! It’s been so long since you’ve seen him. But the past wouldn’t let go. He wasn’t her; he wouldn’t abandon you, but the possibility was still there, and that scared you more than anything. You couldn’t bear being tossed aside again.

Amygdala noticed your restlessness, the pain clear as daylight. It bend down, bringing its enormous head closer to your body as two of its arms slowly wrapped around you, pulling you closer in what wanted to be an embrace. You accepted it, trying to return it, with only one hand. Cecilia didn’t scream, rather impressed by the creature’s actions. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.


	55. When It All Falls Apart

The day passed filled with chores and trying to stop your mother from giving treats to Kuro.

“A little fat doesn’t hurt anybody. Besides, he ain’t that heavy.” she tried to argue, but you had none of it.

“Mom! If I said he’s on a diet, he’s on a diet.” you said, nearly stomping your foot down.

“But look at those eyes!” she replied gesturing to the pleading look the owl was giving you.

“Ok. Kuro go and fly!” you said, heading to the living room window and opening it.

The bird reluctantly left, throwing one last look behind before taking off. You watched him fly, your eyes following the beating of his wings against the air currents, how he flew by Amygdala and Patches, hidden behind the same web that concealed them from your view until the night before.

Before you came home, you asked the Great One to give you a stone just like Cecilia’s so you could see him without having to be around her all the time. The Spider-creature did something even better. Through its magic it offered your eyes “enlightenment” as Patches put it, the ability to see not only them, but all that was hidden by Rom, the Vacuous Spider, and so many others. The sensation was…strange, as if a veil had been lifted, like all this time you were blinded. Fairies, creatures and so many other now were visible to you, when before you could only see signs of their presence like broken twigs, knocked down items that had no reason to fall. Some hid in the shadows as soon as they understood that you had the gift bestowed upon you, others tried to approach you, only to be chased away by Amygdala, afraid that they might cause you harm. Some looked like they could. They say to be afraid of the dark, and you understood very well why now.

When the night fell down upon the village, you and Cecilia were walking through the fields accompanied by the Great One and its servant, listening to the songs of the cicada. Kuro stayed home, still mad at you because of the diet thing, but what could you do? He was getting pretty chubby and for an owl that couldn’t be bad. A ghost passed by you, a young man pulling a stack of hay in a small carriage behind him. He tipped his hat and you gave a light bow, your aunt, unable to see all that you could, tilting her head at your gesture. Patches, on the other hand.

“I see that you adapt well to the gift. I must admit I’m impressed. Not many would react the same. I’ve seen countless give in to madness.” he said as he kept on walking.

“What can I say? I adapt fast.” you replied, looking at Amygdala and smiling.

The Great One returned the gesture by gently touching your nose, his fingers feeling cold and bone-like.

“So, where are you two from exactly? A different dimension? Space?” you continued; your aunt once more flabbergasted at your bravery.

“Hm…you are close. Truth is, nobody knows for sure. Great Ones are many and different. Some do indeed come from space, others from dimensions different than our own. But while their origin is ambiguous, we do know where to find them, if you have the courage to. Lord Amygdala is one of the Great Ones that reside in the Nightmare…”

“Nightmare? But Grandpa never mentioned them?” you said looking confused at Patches.

“Grandpa?” both him and Cecilia asked.

“Oh, sorry. I mean Nightmare King Gri...” you began to explain only to be interrupted by Amygdala’s and Patches’ uncontrollable fit of laughter.

“What a fool! Nightmare King?! Now that’s a joke I haven’t heard in a long time!” the Spider said, still laughing.

“Care to explain?” you said, seeing nothing to laugh at and getting rather offended at it.

“Oh! What a fool this one is! To dare claim himself as ruler over the Nightmare! Hahaha! Such arrogance! The Nightmare cares not for a leader, my dear! It is a land without lord, nobody able to tame its wild nature. For one to dare declare himself as its king. A feat worthy only of a complete idiot! Not even the Great Ones residing inside its horrors take such tittles upon themselves. Look at Flora, the Moon Presence, she is the architect of dreams, but she never considered herself to be its ruler. Such audacity!” Patches said, laughing again.

You didn’t know what to say, a part of you wanting to defend Grimm and his father, the Nightmare Bracelet burning your skin, the wrath of the Higher Being reaching its peak. You feared he might pull all of you into his realm again, and you didn’t want that to be the first meeting between him and your aunt.

“He controls the flame birthed from the Nightmare.” you found yourself saying all of the sudden.

Amygdala stopped laughing, bending its head to look at the glowing band that began to hurt. In one swift motion, it took it off, without you even feeling it, holding it between its long fingers of one of its hands, while another was healing the scarlet mark left by it.

“Ah, the Scarlet Flame.” Patches began, relying to you his master’s message. “We know it well. It burns so bright, but the price one has to pay… My dear do not take offense at our words. We meant no disrespect, but my master is worried about you. It knows the pain you go through and it can’t help but wonder. Is it worth it?”

“It…it’s not his fault.” you said, your voice trembling and your fists clenched. “I… I just…”

“(Y/N), what happened?” Cecilia asked, placing a hand on your shoulder.

You tried to speak, but the words didn’t want to come out, replaced by tears as old wounds you thought gone opened again. You looked at Amygdala, unknowingly asking for help, which it was more than happy to provide, but before, it handed you the bracelet back, its head titled in question. You nodded and a deep sleep washed over you, feeling your body fall into the arms of the Great One. Ah! The pain was gone, after so long.

It took him great effort, but for her he would have done anything, even forgive one who dared call him a fool and tarnish his name and position. His sister was by his side, along with the Wyrm and other two, a woman whom he understood to be (Y/N)’s aunt and Patches, the wretched spider who dared insult him. Were it not for the answer he so desperately sought, he would have burned him to a crisp right there, but he couldn’t. Not now at least. Sensing her brother’s boiling anger, Radiance placed a wing on his shoulder, to calm him down. They had enough trouble as it was, no need for additional ones. The King said nothing, his attention fixated on the woman and the scenery in front of them. It was a blessing that the Great One allowed them entry to this nightmare of the child, a memory that was the source of her coldness. There would be enough time to settle matters of honor later and to talk to the aunt more. They all recognized her, from the first day she came to the house, standing on the porch, and looking at it. They never disclosed her visits to James, unknowing what exactly to say. Now they all regretted it, for if they had told him, maybe then _that_ could have ben resolved quicker as well.

(Y/N) was sitting in her desk, listening to music and coloring squares, lost in her own dreams, as her classmates were enjoying the break, girls walking through the halls or gossiping among each other, boys fighting and yelling, pieces of bread, hard as rocks flying from one corner of the room to another. Another day filled with stupid things. In one corner, two girls were having a fight, not loud enough to attract attention, but it was obvious that they didn’t get along. One of them left, heading towards (Y/N) and crashing into the empty chair besides her.

The girl took out her headphones looking at the newcomer, her face concerned.

“What happened? Something wrong?” (Y/N) asked.

“Phoebe was acting up again. I’m so sick of her. She always treats me like a stranger and only spends times with me when it’s convenient for her.” Jennie said, throwing mean glares towards the other girl.

“Sorry to hear that. It must suck.” the other one replied, looking down at the black and white squares.

“You know (Y/N), you’re my only true friend.”

“Oh. Well, you’re a nice person.” she replied, not knowing what to say, thought running in her head, none daring to come out and make itself heard.

She said that yesterday too, and the day before. It was never true, but each time she would hold onto those words, only for them to hurt later on. Why did she do this? Hadn’t she had enough of this lie?

“Thank you. Hey, do you have a partner for that project at French?” Jennie continued, looking at the papers covered in squares and frowning. “Why do you always draw squares? You’re so weird.”

“I don’t know. They’re just…relaxing.” A forced smile. “No, I don’t have one yet. You?”

“I was planning to do it with Phoebe, but not anymore. Have you began working on it?”

“Yes. I was thinking I’d do it alone anyway.”

“Cool. What else do you need? I can do the rest.”

“Oh, I’m just about done with half of the project.”

“Really? Ok. Send it to me and I’ll start from there. I’ll get it done by the end of the week.”

“T-Thank you.”

“Hey, this is what friends are for, right?”

The two giggled and talked about something else, laughing and smiling, for the rest of the day.

Tomorrow came and (Y/N) arrived to school, her heart sinking again when she saw Jennie laughing with Phoebe, as if yesterday’s quarrel never happened. Just like it always did. Their eyes met and the girl hurried to her side, the excuse, always the same one, ready to come out.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N), but I made up with Phoebe and decided to make the project with her. Hope you don’t mind.” she said, each word an arrow hitting right in the still healing tissue, making it bleed once more.

A forced smile, tears held back.

“Sure. No problem. I’m almost done anyway. Have fun.” (Y/N) replied and headed to her seat, cussing herself out for her naivety. Why could she never learn her lesson?

She put her bag down, and plucked her headphones in, letting the screams of Black Veil Brides fill her head as the lyrics flooded in, as she placed her arms on the desk and buried her face in them, fighting the tears back. Why did it always have to be like this? That day, she promised herself to never get close to anyone ever again, walls build around her heart in defense.

But she meet them, the bugs living in her uncle’s home. They cared about her, they loved her, how could she stay away? Everything was good for a while. The wound slowly disappeared, betrayal fading into nothingness. Until he came. Reason and fear fought, the past slowly returning and wrapping its claws around her, walls raising once more. Afraid, she became cold, torn between the fear of being abandoned and the desire to cling to hope. But the voices whispered in her ears, the same words that cursed her forever: “Hey (Y/N). You’re my only friend.”

“Enough.” Nightmare King said as the scenery was about to change.

He’s had enough. How could he be so blind? And why didn’t (Y/N) ever say anything about it? Was he really that cold towards her? Claws burned as flames gathered in his palms, the desire to tear something apart taking over. He was too busy being mad at useless things to notice the scarlet nightmare igniting inside her. She was afraid, scared of being tossed aside again. How couldn’t he see it?

Radiance shared her brother’s feelings, pieces finally falling into place. Oh! If only that girl would be there in front of her! She would have impaled her without a second thought! How dare she…HOW DARE SHE…HOW…How could Radiance not notice? Oh! (Y/N), how hurt she must have been?

A slight crack broke the silence. Everyone looked to see the Pale King’s claws bleeding as their tips dug into his skin. Again, he failed to help his child, one he had the audacity to claim to love, and yet, what did he do to show for it? Nothing. Why was he so powerless?

“Oh my! You’re bleeding!” Cecilia screamed as she rushed to help the white creature.

The King stopped her, covering the wounds with the sleeve of his coat.

“My apologies, Miss. I did not mean to upset you.” he said, bowing politely. “Please do not…”

“You always say that.” a voice came, catching everyone’s attention.

The dream disappeared and now they were in a large open place, a stone tower slightly tilted to the right, residing far close to the walls surrounding the area, grass and other wild plants growing from between the cracked ground. Stone poles were scattered around, metal sculptures mounted on top, held with chains. (Y/N) and Amygdala stood in front of them, the Great One much more different from its version in the waking world, mouth tentacles missing and tail longer, its skin covered with a hue of white. As much as he wanted to deny it, it was impossible. Amygdala was truly one of the Nightmare, just like him.

“(Y/N), we…” the Scarlet Monarch began, stepping forward the girl.

“Neither of you ever tell me anything, always keeping me out. Do you know how it hurts?!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face.

“My dear, we only do that because…” Radiance began but stopped. Because we don’t want you to know what we truly are? The truth of the atrocities committed? Could she really say that?

“Why didn’t you tell us that you were scared? Why did you carry this burden all by yourself?” Pale King intervened.

“Are we really that cold to you, my dear?” Nightmare King said as well.

She didn’t respond, didn’t want to. However, Amygdala knew that she could not avoid this. Like a mother encouraging her child, it gently pushed the girl forward, head gently touching her to show its support. (Y/N) looked at it, feeling her fear go away. Was it its doing? Most likely. She turned to face the bugs, inhaling deeply before speaking, letting it all out.

“I…I didn’t know how to say it. I know Vlad needs you, and it’s… it’s not his fault. We all know how his mother is. But…I couldn’t stop it…I couldn’t stop being afraid that…that you will al leave me… just like Jennie did.”

“She was never your true friend, my dear.” Radiance said, approaching her daughter. How it broke her heart to see her like that.

“I know, but… I…I know it’s stupid and you must hate me for being selfish….”

“Is that what you thought? That we’d hate you?” Pale King asked, eyes grown wise in amazement. “What on Earth could have given you such an idea?! We could never hate you!”

“That’s right! You are our dear child! Nothing in this world could ever make us hate you!” Nightmare King said, rushing to wrap his arms around you and pull you into his embrace. “We could never hate you, no matter what.”

“For once my brother is saying something wise. My darling, we love you, and” Radiance said, taking a deep breath, unbelieving what she herself was about to do. “We only keep things hidden from you because we don’t want you to hate us.”

Nightmare King and the Wyrm stared at her in shock, but she couldn’t care. Lying was what got them into this whole mess, keeping secrets from each other, never talking things out. No more. She needed to know; the truth had to come to light.

“(Y/N), I killed thousands of innocents.” she said, the burden of the confession, ready to crush her.

The girl looked at the Moth, trying to understand what she was saying.

“She’s not the only one.” Pale King said, ready to reveal the truth as well. “Sit down my dear. It’s going to be a long story. One that neither of us is proud of.”

And so it all came to light, the Infection, the sacrifices, rage and despair pushing them to commit atrocities beyond belief. No cost too great. I will not be forgotten. No voice to cry suffering. The light cannot be consumed. Endless, repeating songs of sacrifice, of servitude.

She listened, taking it all in, Amygdala helping her process the entire story, watching it unfold with calm and not letting rage or any other emotion cloud her judgement, not that she needed that. She spend an entire year watching them try to make amends for their sins, Pale King showering his children with love, Radiance helping bugs where she could, Nightmare King trying to spend time with his family. Now it all made sense, just like how they finally understood her cold behavior. So many secrets. So much pain. It felt good to get it all out, to finally be able to reveal the wound and let the healing begin.

“So, do you hate us now my dear?” Radiance asked, as soon as she was done.

Instead of answering, (Y/N) wrapped her arms around her, a simple gesture, carrying so much meaning behind it. Golden tears began to pour from the Moth’s eyes as she returned her daughter’s hug, all her prayers answered at once.

“You two. Come here as well.” (Y/N) said, looking at both kings.

They complied, relieved by her forgiveness. The thing they wanted most, and only dared to dream about, turned to reality after all this time spend tormenting themselves inside.

“Now it’s your turn.” Patches said, appearing from the shadows and approaching Cecilia, who had been a silent witness all this time, constantly wiping her eyes with a tissue she had in her dress pocket.

“W-What do you mean?” she asked, the Spider, though she knew the answer very well.

Amygdala was staring at her, expecting, one word was all it needed.

“You blame yourself for a dear one’s pain, don’t you? Too afraid to face them, thinking they might hate you.” he continued, revealing the pain, the torture she was dealing with. He looked at (Y/N) and the bugs, the tears signifying the end of all pain. “The girl faced her fear. It is time for you to do so as well.”

“I…I know.” Cecilia admitted, aware that this could not continue. She needed to apologize, to right her wrong.

She didn’t notice when (Y/N) approached her, the worried look on her face.

“Auntie, what’s wrong?” she asked, taking the woman by surprise.

“Oh, (Y/N), I…” she began stuttering, before all the agitation washed away.

She looked at Amygdala, the Great One nodding, encouraging her, just as it did with (Y/N).

“(Y/N) does James hate me?”

There it was. The question that kept her awake at night, the thing she needed to know, that drove her away from her home.

“No. He never did. Why?” Her niece said, amazed at her aunt’s question.

“Because I ruined his life!” Cecilia screamed, beginning to cry, to let it all out. “If it wasn’t for me, mother and father would have never treated him like a murdered, our siblings wouldn’t have shunned him! It’s all my fault!”

She fell on the ground, shoulders trembling from the pain. (Y/N) and Amygdala rushed to hug her and try to calm her down, the Higher Beings coming in a hurry to make sure it was all alright.

“Miss, sir James misses you.” Radiance said, recalling the times when the man would stare out the window, lost in a sea of memories. She could see a little girl in his dreams, laughing and playing with him, until the day when his foolish ambition nearly got them both killed, a single desire burning inside him, to see her again and apologize.

“W-What?” Cecilia said, raising her head and looking at them.

“He writes letters…every year on the 5th of September, he writes to you, asking you to forgive him for what happened. But he’s too afraid to send them. He’s scared that you will never do, that you still hate him.” The King continued, recalling each sheet of paper, each night when James struggled to put his feelings into it, only to tear it apart the next morning.

The 5th of September. Cecilia’s birthday.

“He still has nightmares. About that day. He dreams of Ace killing you and he’s unable to save you. He wakes up screaming and crying each time.” Nightmare King joined; such a night having happened only three days ago.

“H-He does?” Cecilia’s voice was trembling.

All this time, she thought he hated her, blamed her for all that went wrong. Kicked out of the house as soon as he left for Japan, shunned by the siblings who considered him a monster for harming their sister. He was the black sheep of the village, elders cursing him, adults whispering about him on the street, children bullying him and yet…all this time, he missed her and wished for her forgiveness. Hers. When it should have been the other way around. Cecilia began to cry again, (Y/N) cradling her like a mother would with her child, helped by Amygdala.

“Let’s call him over. We can have a picnic. With Amygdala and you guys, and Patches.” the girl said, looking at her aunt.

Cecilia nodded. Finally, she could see her brother whom she missed so.

“We didn’t forget anything, right?” you mother asked, as you were approaching your home.

“Nope. I think we have enough food to feed an army.” you said, rummaging through the bags of groceries, next to you in the backseat. “Mom! I told you not to buy treats for Kuro!” you scolded her, pulling out two trays of chicken meat from one of the containers.

“I didn’t buy them.” she defended herself.

“I did.” your father admitted, looking at you through the rearview mirror, smiling.

“Dad! I told you, he’s on a diet!”

“Oh, come on. It’s a family picnic. He deserves to have some fun.” he argued, laughing.

You were glad that he agreed to the picnic. He seemed even happier when you asked for James to be invited as well. You, him and your mother woke up early to go and make the shopping, your sisters and aunt having stayed behind to prepare the grill and set the table. Now you were on your way home, almost there and as always, your mother was asking for the nth time if you forgot something.

A little bit more and you wound be home, the scent of grilled meat filling the air, Kuro flying through the air, happy to have the chance to fill his belly like before the diet. Needless to say that he was not pleased with it at all.

A little bit more…a little bit…more…Amygdala screamed, voices blending with one another, pain cursing through every part of your body and then… it all went black.

⌘The End⌘

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Storm and Sunshine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703478) by [spaceesvoid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceesvoid/pseuds/spaceesvoid)




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